Falling Leaves
by Maki-sama
Summary: Sequel to Tangled Branches. Ryou and Joey are back at Hogwarts. The wizarding world has fallen into a false state of peace. Who is this person plotting against the Potter boys? Ryou's in over his head when he specifically is targeted.
1. New meetings and a house

Yes, I have somehow received inspiration and thought up a sequel! I know I said it was doubtful, but here it is! The point one percent chance has won! Please do not expect me to update quickly or regularly because I'm a very busy person as you know from before. I have had problems sleeping so hopefully any other chapters won't be sleep deprivation chapters.  
**Keep in mind that to read this story it'd be very wise to read the first one!**

Reminders:  
/Ryou to Bakura/  
_/Bakura to Ryou/_

'Thoughts are entered here'

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or Yugioh!

* * *

In a small house located in muggle London, the sound of a phone ringing blared through the walls. A boy with long, white hair and large, brown eyes ran towards the receiver. Grabbing it on the last ring, he answered. The caller being his half brother the boy smiled. Ryou Bakura was his name, and the previous yeah he became a student at Hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry. He found his family and helped his half brother to save their father and destroy the evil Lord Voldemort.

"Hey, Harry, how are you?" he greeted his half brother, Harry Potter.

"I'm all right I guess. I still don't understand why Dumbledore insisted I spend the first few weeks of summer with the Dursley's," Harry groaned.

"Perhaps it's because they can say a proper good bye to their nephew! You know how long good byes can take," Ryou teased.

"Oh, be quiet, Ryou! You know I'll jinx you once I get home tomorrow!"

"Like you would be able to, Harry. You forget that you're still underage and that's against the law!" Ryou mused.

"You're underage too, so don't start preaching," both boys laughed. This summer was going to be great and they couldn't wait to get to know each other as brothers.

"So, did you talk to your friends yet?" asked Harry.

"Yeah, everything is cleared up, but it's not the same as it was," sighed Ryou.

"Well, that's understandable. I know if Ron or Hermione tried to kill me I'd never be able to talk to them the same again as well. Oh shoot, the Dursleys are home, I better go. See you tomorrow, bye!"

"Bye," said Ryou as the phone clicked and he knew his brother had hung up.

After all the events during the school year the boys' father, James Potter, decided to stay in England rather than go back to Japan. Joey was currently staying with the Weasley's and learning the English language instead of having to use a language charm. The Ishtars, Mai, and the others had returned to Japan promising to write. Well at least Marik and Mai had.

Ryou sighed and looked around his humble home. His father had taken a job as an auror again so was rarely seen at home because of all the dark wizards lately and his mother, Mary Ann, would leave to go help Professor Dumbledore clean up after the war. With everyone out of the house Ryou had nothing better to do than his homework. With all but potions done, he got to work on his last essay.

'Better to get all of them done now than leave them for the last minute,' he thought.  
_/Workaholic/_muttered a voice in the back of his head.

/Well aren't you cheery this morning, Bakura/ laughed Ryou.

_/Yes, I'm just SO thrilled that someone decided they wanted to get up early/_yelled Bakura.

/You know as well as I do that you can lock up your soul room and sleep/ Ryou grinned at his Yami's childish behavior. After they were remerged, the two halves had finally understood why they needed to be together. It was like a part of you was missing without the other.

James had taken the idea that Ryou was possessed quite well. He actually found Bakura's random insults to be amusing.

The door began to unlock and Ryou ran over to see who it was. "Hey mom!" he said hugging her. Though they had only known each other for a few weeks, Ryou still felt very connected to his newfound mother and she him.

"Hi, Ryou, how has your day been?" she asked taking off her shoes.

"Good! I was just staring my potions essay before you arrived. Oh, and Harry called but he had to go," he said following her to the kitchen. "What are we making for lunch? Is dad going to be home for dinner? Are you done with the work at--" Mary Ann laughed.

"Well aren't you in a good mood today," she smiled. "What would you like for lunch?"

"I don't know. Creampuffs?"

**LALALA**

Harry hung up the phone and quickly ran to his room to not raise any suspicions from the Dursley's. Shutting the door her found an owl on his bed. The owl was brown with many black specks on it's breast and had a letter attached to it's foot.

Harry walked over to his bed and carefully untied the letter. As the owl flew out his window he opened the letter, glad the Dursley's were indoors.

Harry-  
How is your summer so far? I do hope you pack shortly after receiving this letter because I will be over soon to take you home. I know you were waiting for tomorrow, but isn't it a pleasant surprise?

-Albus Dumbledore

Headmaster of Hogwarts  
Order of Merlin….

Harry read the letter over, confused. Dumbledore was coming? How soon was soon? Just after this thought the door bell rang. Some questions you just shouldn't ask. At the startled gasp of his Aunt Petunia, Harry ran to the bottom of the stair well.

"Oh, good afternoon, Harry," Dumbledore smiled knowingly at the boy.

"Good afternoon, sir."

"I suspect you haven't had a change to pack your belongings," stated Dumbledore indicating the crushed note in Harry's hand. Shrugging sheepishly, Harry led the old professor to his room. He grabbed the few things he had unpacked and threw them quickly into his trunk. While Harry carried Hedwig in her cage, Dumbledore cast a spell of levitation and guided the trunk downstairs.

Leaving the house, Harry looked up at his professor.

"Sir, how are we getting to my house?" Harry still hadn't gotten used to having a house to go to. As thought answering his question a car stopped in front of them and the window was lowered.

"Hop in boys!" yelled James Potter as Harry stared in shock. He had expected apparating of floo powder, not a red mustang!

**LALALA**

Harry had never expected James to be a very good driver, but apparently only the ministry drivers were crazy. The car was a muggle car with only a simple spell to enlarge certain areas to fit more people or luggage. Dumbledore sat in the front next to James as Harry sat in the back to the left next to Hedwig.

Watching the scenery fly by Harry thought about how wonderful his new life would be. He had a younger brother and a step mother who was very kind. His father wasn't dead and he could converse with his friends whenever he wanted to. After a few minutes of dreaming about his new life, Harry lay his head against the window and fell into a dreamless sleep. The whole summer Harry had not had a single dream. Sure he remembered all the fighting, but he was no longer paranoid about Voldemort showing up on his front doorstep. He felt free, like a big burden had been lifted from his chest.

After the school year had ended, Harry and his friends had taken the train home. Parents had run to their kids and hugged them until they could no longer breathe. So many people were in tears of joy and sorrow. Harry found it hard to see the pain and joy engraved in people's faces.

His new mother, Mary Ann, had driven him brother home and told him that she and his father would be helping to remodel Hogwarts. She said he would be going home with Ryou in two weeks and to just be patient. During these two weeks, every time the Dursley's went out he would call his brother and friends. He kept in contact by Owl most of the time since Ron still didn't understand the phone. Most of these conversations he sat and listened while Joey tried to explain it to Ron in his broken English.

Harry jumped with a jolt as the car came to a stop in a driveway of a small house with beautiful flowers surrounding it. He opened the door and got out looking around the street and over the house. Turning towards his father, Harry looked for approval. James nodded his head and Harry ran up to the porch and knocked on the door.

Slowly, the door opened and his brother was standing in front of him with a quill on his ear. He had obviously been working on homework, something Harry hadn't even started.

"Harry, you're here early!" he exclaimed in surprise. "We weren't expecting you until tomorrow!"

"Yeah, you see Dad and Dumbledore came to pick me up early as a surprise," Harry said rubbing the back of his neck nervously.

"Well, why don't you come on inside, I'll give you the grand tour!" Ryou wouldn't take no as an answer as he grabbed Harry's arm and dragged him in the house.

Ryou led Harry all over the downstairs showing him the bathrooms, Kitchen, living room, and dining room. He then led him to the basement where there wasn't really much except for a washer and dryer. Taking him upstairs, Ryou showed him all the bedrooms and other various rooms.

"Mom and Dad wanted a guest room incase Mr. Lupin wants to stay with us. Do you know who that is?"

"Yeah, he was the Defense against the Dark arts teacher in my third year," replied Harry. "So does that mean you and me are sharing a room?"

"Yes, I hope you don't mind," Ryou said as he opened a door that had his and Harry's names on it.

The room was an average size and rectangular in shape. There were two beds and two desks. Between the two beds was a walk in closet with half of it already full of Ryou's clothing. Harry couldn't help but be amused at how organized and clean the room was. He never knew his brother could be such a neat freak.

Harry sat down on his bed and looked out the window next to it. "Is Bakura having fun here too?" he asked. "Mom and Dad didn't freak out about you telling them about a spirit possessing your necklace, did they?"

"Actually, Dad really likes Bakura. Mom is a bit confused, but accepts him. They still have problems figuring out who is in control, but they're getting better." Ryou smiled sitting down on his bed as well. "Mom said we'd go shopping in London tomorrow for clothes for you seeing as your cousin's hand-me-downs don't exactly fit. We also get to go hang out in Diagon Alley for a while!"

"Sounds like lots of fun," Harry smiled. 'This life is getting better already.'

**LALALA**

The next morning Harry was woken by a loud bang. The bang was accompanied by an annoying ringing noise to Harry's right. He opened his eyes and saw his brother sleeping and an alarm clock on the ground next to the wall. He blinked and slowly got out of bed. Walking over to the sleeping boy, he gently took Ryou's shoulder and shook. Ryou jumped up and soon enough there was a knife pointed at him. Harry stared in shock at the knife that was just barely touching him. "Uh…I think you need a new alarm clock. Well, it looks like Ryou needs a new alarm clock, not you Bakura. Good thing we're going shopping today, huh?" Harry said nervously as Bakura lowered the knife and rubbed his eyes.

"Is it morning already?" he asked.

"Yeah, you see you sort of threw the alarm against the wall, so you didn't wake up."

"Oh man, now Ryou's going to kill me!" with a flash of light a confused and tired looking Ryou replaced the spirit.

"Hey, Ryou, how did you sleep?"

"Pretty good, I don't think Bakura could sleep last night though. I feel like I've been pacing all night," Ryou said stretching his back and taking a look around the room. His eyes landed on the broken alarm clock and a look of annoyance crossed his features while he mumbled, "He's dead."

Harry laughed as their mother came into the room. "Boys, I thought I heard a…is that another broken clock, Ryou?"

"Yes, mother, it appears my Yami is not a morning person," he said as calmly as possible.

"Oh dear, I guess we should put the next one by Harry's bed instead," she said with a small laugh. "Get ready to go, boys, we're going to eat breakfast and leave." She left the room so they could get ready.

Ryou got up and went over to the closet to look threw his dresser. "How did you sleep last night? Did you have any disturbing dreams or something?"

"No, I've gotten so much sleep lately. I haven't had a bad dream since school ended," Harry said going to the closet as well.

"You know," Ryou said stopping in his actions.

"Hm," said Harry.

"It's been real quiet lately," he turned to his brother, "You don't think something else is happening out there, do you? I know from past experiences that you should never truly let your guard down, but…is something going to happen?" Harry couldn't help but notice how worried his brother looked.

"You haven't had any dreams or premonitions?" he asked. Ryou shook his head no. "I don't think anything is going to happen, at least not right now," with a smiled of reassurance Harry and Ryou turned back to their dressers. 'Something tells me Ryou has had a bad past,' thought Harry. 'I can't help but wonder what has happened to him.'

After both the boys took a shower and got dressed they head downstairs to the dining room. On the table was an assortment or eggs, toast, pancakes, and waffles. They went to the kitchen and got some juice then made a plate of food. Sitting down at the table, they began to eat in silence. After a couple of minutes James walked in the room with a tired looking man behind him who had slightly graying hair and a thin appearance.

"Professor Lupin!" said Harry and he smiled at his old professor.

"Hello, Harry," Lupin said with an amused smile, "You know you can call me Remus, I'm not your professor anymore."

"Well, old habits die hard," replied Harry happily. "Are you going to be staying with us?"

"Yes he is, and we're not taking no for an answer, Remus. You need a place to stay where people aren't going to rip you apart." James answered for the ex-professor.

"Um…why exactly would people want to rip him apart," asked a confused and forgotten about Ryou. The three looked at him and then Harry and James looked at Remus. "Never mind, bad question," said Ryou as he started to push his food around. Remus sat down next to him as James beckoned Harry out of the room.

"Let's leave those two to get acquainted," said James once they were clear of the area. "Ryou doesn't know about Remus being a werewolf yet."

"Well that's obvious, but I think those two will get along nicely," said Harry. "With Ryou being possessed by a spirit I'm sure they could really relate," he smiled. James nodded and ruffled his son's hair.

"Hello, Ryou," said Remus, "I'm, well obviously, Remus Lupin."

"Hello," said Ryou. "I'm Ryou Bakura…Potter…"

"That's all right," said Remus. "I'm sure you'll get used to that after a while," he smiled.

"Yeah," replied Ryou looking down. "It's really hard to think I've got a whole different life than I began my life with."

"That's understandable," said Remus, "So, what kinds of things do you like to do? Are you a quidditch fan?"

"Not really, it's a cool sport, but…I just can't really get into it," said Ryou as Remus nodded in understanding. "I do like divination thought," Ryou said with a smile.

"You do? I never really understood that class much," said Remus.

"Well…I guess not many people do," Ryou looked down embarrassed. Harry walked in having just heard the last bit of conversation.

"Ryou has the 'inner eye'," he said while using his fingers to make quotation marks.

"Really?" asked Remus intrigued as Ryou nodded with a light blush at all the attention. "That's something I wouldn't suspect from one of James' sons," he laughed lightly. "Anything else you like to do?" Ryou shrugged.

"I like muggle games," he said, "But I don't do much otherwise." Harry knew Ryou was holding back lots of information and he couldn't blame him. During the past two weeks when Harry would talk to Ryou, Ryou told him that Bakura had been teaching him how to throw knives. He was really enjoying the learning experience.

"Hey, Remus, come check out your room!" yelled James as Remus got up with a nervous smile and left.

"He's really nice," said Harry as Ryou turned to look at him. "And he's not really as crazy as Dad is."

"I've taken to trusting people before telling them my secrets," said Ryou in a monotonous voice.

"You know, he might have a secret he's hiding from you, too," Harry said with a knowing glance.

"You know something I don't know, now tell me or I'll sick Bakura on you," said Ryou bluntly as Harry laughed.

"No way, I don't tell other people's secrets. You'll just have to talk to him later," he replied in a sing-song voice. Both boys joked around for a bit longer before cleaning up their dishes.

**LALALA**

A dark house stood on a hill with only the small light of a candle showing in one window. A figure paced the room muttering to himself.

"They ruined my life! I will get revenge and my dignity back. No one messes with me! I will not rest until those Potter boys are dead!"

* * *

Whoa! Six pages of story! So that's the end of chapter one. Hopefully you enjoyed it and tell me any ideas you had, I'm open to all! There probably won't be any pairings in this story unless enough people tell me they really want it. Hope to see you next chapter!  
**Review and tell me what you think!**

-Maki-sama-


	2. In which secrets are kept and told

Hey! Here I am with another update just because I'm in a writing mood.

Reminders:

/Ryou to Bakura/

_/Bakura to Ryou/_

'Thoughts in a persons head.'

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or Yugioh!

* * *

Sitting in the car while Harry and his mother shopped, Ryou was reading a book on Divination. Recently he'd been interested in many different ways of telling the future and was eager to try them out. However, he would have to wait until someone was actually willing to go through with it. James was still trying to get used to his second son being a seer and it scared him if Ryou ever started talking about it. Mary Ann was encouraging, but unsure about any of the things that Ryou said and was constantly trying to figure out if he was prophesizing. Harry didn't like divination and would most likely refuse to a reading fear of Professor Trelawney's random predictions being correct.

Ryou sighed as he leaned back his head and stared at the top of the car. He went into a few of the first stores that were on the list for rearranging Harry's wardrobe, but gave up after he just sat around in most of them.

_/Something is on your mind/_came the voice from the back of his mind.

/What are you talking about, Bakura, what makes you think that/ Ryou said to his Yami.

_/Oh please, it's so obvious that you're troubled/_ Bakura hissed in irritation at the lie. _/Now explain to me what's bothering you/_

/Can I tell you later/ Ryou was looking out the window at his quickly approaching family. /I won't be able to at the moment./

Bakura growled. _/Fine./_

The door opened and Ryou smiled as Harry sat next to him looking exhausted. "How was the third and final store?" he asked.

"It was the same as all the rest," he replied as both thought, 'Long and boring.'

Reaching the Leaky Cauldron, the three exited the car. They walked to the back of the pub, waving at Tom, the bartender, on the way. Mrs. Bakura-Potter tapped the correct brick and the walls spread open to reveal an alley full of shops. Having come here to buy many different magical cleaning supplies with his mother, Ryou was used to this kind of entrance.

"All right, boys, I've got to head to the bank so we'll head there first," the trio headed to Gringotts (I can't remember the spelling right now) and rode through the dark mine-like area to their vault. After grabbing a bag full of money they headed back and walked to the ice cream parlor.

"Here's some money," Mary Ann handed each of her sons a small bag of coins, "We'll meet here in forty-five minutes and head home." She watched as the boys walked away and began on her way the opposite direction.

"So where are you heading, Harry?" asked Ryou politely.

"I thought I'd go to Quality Quidditch Supplies and then head over to Fred and George's store, you?" he said.

"I'm going to Flourish and Blott's to look for a new book or something," said Ryou as the quidditch store came into view. "See you in a bit," he waved to Harry and continued walking.

Arriving at Flourish and Blott's, Ryou walked around the shelves looking at all the sections wondering what kind of book he should buy. Not paying attention to where he was going, Ryou ran straight into a girl and both fell to the floor. He jumped up and held out his hand for her. "Terribly sorry, I didn't…Hermione? What are you doing here?"

"Hey, Ryou, I drove over here for a bit of shopping. I got my license last summer and needed a new book," she said showing him the book in her hands. It was on ancient magic and looked very old. "After learning about your item I really wanted to learn more about ancient magic," she answered his puzzled look. "What are you looking for?"

"Ah, I don't know, I just needed something to occupy my mind. I finished my homework, so there's not much else to do," he said looking at the Divination section. A lone book caught his eye. It was dark red in color and was the only one of its kind. He quickly grabbed it and looked at the cover. "Exorcisms? I never knew they were practiced in Divination."

"Well I guess part of it must be Defense and Divination," stated Hermione looking at the book. "Looks pretty interesting, mind if I borrow it sometime during the school year?" she asked as Ryou nodded.

The two walked to the counter and paid for their purchases. "Will you be staying with your parents all summer or heading to the Weasley's?" asked Ryou as they walked to the ice cream stand.

"I'm not sure. If Ron invites me I might go over there, but with Joey there as well I don't want to interrupt."

"Interrupt what?"

"With Joey's English lessons going on I don't want to cause a problem," she replied with a sigh. "I love my parents, but ever since entering Hogwarts I've felt distanced from them."

"That's understandable. You're a witch and well…they're not," he said.

"So how's your summer been?"

"Okay I guess. I've just done homework and helped Harry to move in. There's not much to do right now with mom and dad always gone," he said clutching his book to his chest.

"That must be hard to be alone most of the time for the past few weeks with nothing to do," Ryou nodded. "If you ever want to you can call me you know." Hermione and Ryou smiled at each other.

"Yeah, that sounds nice. Finished all your homework," he asked teasingly.

"Of course I have, Ryou," she said smacking his arm lightly. "You really think I wouldn't?"

"Nah, just messing," he smiled looking at his watch. "Looks like I've got ten minutes until Mom and Harry show up. Do you want to get some ice cream?" he asked.

"Yeah sure, I'll probably head home soon anyway. My parents want me home by dinner." They both ordered some ice cream and sat down at a table outside waiting for the two to arrive. After five minutes had passed Harry came over and sat down with them.

"Did you make any purchases?" asked Ryou taking a lick from his ice cream.

"Yeah," said Harry, "I got some more polish for my broom and a few tricks." Ryou nodded and zoned for a bit as Harry and Hermione talked about each other's summers. When Mary Ann showed up the four left Diagon Alley and returned to their homes.

Ryou went straight to his room as the rest of the family sat in the living room to hang out. He immediately sat down and cracked open his book. After he had read a few pages there was a knock at the door. "Come in," said Ryou without even looking up. Hearing the door open and shut slowly he finally looked up.

"You're father was wondering what you were up to," said Remus as Ryou returned to his book.

"I highly doubt that, he knows I like to sit and read rather than socialize." Remus sat on Harry's bed and watched the young boy.

"How was your shopping?"

"Good."

"It seems you've found an interesting book. You know, I used to teach DADA and if you want to know anything…" Ryou looked up at the ex professor.

"Harry and Dad seem very interested in us getting to know each other," he slowly shut his book and set it to the side. Sliding his legs over the edge of his bed to face Remus, he stared at his as an artist stares at his work. "What are you hiding from the world?"

Remus was taken aback by the sudden question and blinked in shock. "Hiding something?"

"Yes, I can see there is something that's pained you in your past and present. What is it?"

"You're a really straight forward kind of guy."

"No, that's just one of a few things I picked up from…" Ryou stopped himself. He almost told this man his secret.

"Picked up from who?" asked Remus as Ryou shifted. "It seems I'm not the only one hiding a secret," he smiled. "Do you really want to know?" Ryou nodded hesitantly. "All right, I am a werewolf," seeing the shock on Ryou's face he half smiled. "Yes, bitten as a child and forever to change into a wolf every full moon."

"Do the others know about this?" asked Ryou, unsure.

"Well of course, James has known forever and Harry found out when I was his teacher. Why else wouldn't I be able to work at Hogwarts anymore?" Ryou sighed in relief then a thought crossed his mind.

"You don't expect me to come clean now, do you?" he asked as Remus chuckled.

"Though it is often that secrets are exchanged, I don't expect you to warm up to me right away." Seeing the boy sigh again Remus raised his eyebrows. "Since James and Harry seem to intent on us bonding, how about we talk about something for awhile to keep them guessing, right?" Ryou smiled at making the two jumpy.

"That sounds like fun," he said. "What should we talk about?"

"I'm not sure," Remus answered. "How has your summer been?"

Having heard that question for the second time today, Ryou already knew his answer. "It hasn't been very exciting," he replied. "I did my homework and sat around reading through my school books to make sure I put everything in my essays."

"You remind me of Hermione," said Remus thinking of Harry's bookworm friend.

"Yeah, that's what Harry's told me before. I don't see what's wrong reading a few books every couple days, or doing your homework early." Remus shrugged at looked at his watch.

"Should we go see if dinner is ready?" he asked as Ryou's stomach simultaneously growled and the boy blushed.

"Yeah, that sounds good."

After dinner Harry and Ryou went upstairs. In the case of Harry, he had decided to start his essays for school. Ryou just picked up his book and started where he had left off. Having read the first chapter Ryou collected his pajamas for the night. As he was walking towards the bathroom, Harry stopped him.

"Ryou is something wrong?" he asked watching his brother's stiff posture.

"Why would anything be wrong?" Ryou said not turning around. "I'm just going to be early. It was a tiring day in the sun." He continued on his way leaving a puzzled Harry behind.

Shutting the door Ryou sat down on the edge of the bath. _/Now do I get to know what is bothering you? You know, if Harry finds out you lied he's going to be mighty ticked off./_

/I know, but I just can't…/ Ryou sighed.

_/Can't what/_ with that said Bakura appeared next to his hikari as a spirit.

"It's just…" Ryou looked down, "I can't talk to him about anything."

"And why is that?" asked Bakura.

"I don't know, it's just hard for me to talk to most people, you know that."

"You don't think it's just because you're shy?" Ryou shook his head. "Maybe you should get to know people better and you won't have such an issue with trust." Ryou looked at his Yami who had a smirk on his face.

"Maybe you're right. But do you really want me to become a social butterfly?"

"Who said anything about becoming a butterfly? I hate butterflies and you know it!" growled Bakura in annoyance. "They just float around with their fragile little paper wings and attack all the flowers. You know, they've been known to plot world domination."

"Bakura…" Ryou laughed. "I don't think insects are going to take over the world. Just because that one landed on you head you can't let it go."

"Well fine, be that way," Bakura stuck out his tongue. "Now what was bothering you earlier?"

"It's strange," started Ryou, "I've got this empty feeling in the pit of my stomach and it won't go away."

"You think something bad is going to happen?"

"Maybe…but I can't know for sure. Of course there is always the fact that I could just be looking for something to go wrong. Maybe I can't accept the world is at peace."

"Maybe, but keep your mind open. Don't close it off to any possibilities, okay?" Ryou nodded as his Yami disappeared from his view. He quickly changed and brushed his teeth heading back to the room. Harry was still working on his homework and didn't seem to notice how long it took Ryou, for this he was grateful.

"Good night, Harry," he said getting into bed as his brother muttered something back to him. He shut his eyes and immediately fell asleep after he heard a good night from Bakura.

**LALALA**

Making sure Ryou was asleep, Harry snuck into the hallway and grabbed a phone. He walked swiftly to the bathroom and locked the door. Dialing a number he waited as it rang.

"Hello?" said a voice on the receiver.

"Oh, good," said Harry, "I was afraid you wouldn't pick up, Joey."

"Hey, Harry, how're you?" exclaimed Joey.

"I'm good, but I wanted to ask you something…hey, is that you speaking English or a charm?"

"Is that your question?" he joked. "No, it's a charm. We had to go somewhere today so I had to use the charm. It should wear off in the morning. So what's up?"

"Have you talked to Ryou lately?"

"Ryou…hmm, can't say I have. I've been busy so it's hard, why?"

"Well he's so…secretive…and I was worried."

"Oh, yes. I figured you'd call sooner or later. Ryou's like that the first year you get to know him. Talk to him and let him warm up to you and he'll get better. It took me quite a bit of frustrated times to get him to talk to me," said Joey reassuringly. "Look at it this way; if you had a voice at the back of your head for most of your life, then you too wouldn't talk to other people."

"Yeah, I can see that," said Harry with a smile. "Thanks, I'll let you go. Bye."

"Bye."

* * *

Shorter than the first, butit's something. Please review and tell me what you think, that's really something that gives me more hope in the story itself. I don't care if you want to all out flame me, I like hearing what people have to say about my works. If you have any questions please don't hesitate to ask. Thanks for reading.

-Maki-sama-

Ps: I'm not sure if I'll be able to update until August because I'll be gone on Band Tour. Hopefully I can give you guys one more chapter though.


	3. A dream kills Ryou's peace

Here's another chapter! Don't worry; summer is coming to an end (In the story!) I hope you enjoy!

Reminders:

/Ryou to Bakura/

_/Bakura to Ryou/_

'Thoughts in the heads of the characters.'

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or Yugioh.

* * *

Weeks passed as the school year drew closer. Harry tried talking to Ryou as much as possible, but it seemed that the boy just drifted even further. He didn't know if Ryou knew he was trying to talk to him, but nothing appeared to be working.

Sitting down for breakfast an owl flew in and dropped two letters on the table. Ryou made to reach for them, but thought better of it and didn't. Harry, seeing that Ryou wasn't going to grab the letters, picked them up and gave Ryou his. He opened his letter to find the materials list for school. Looking through it, he noticed all the books he'd have to get this yeah. There were new books for Transfiguration, DADA, Herbology, and Potions! Those were almost all his classes! Taking a peak at Ryou's he was thankful that he had dropped Divination after last year.

"You've sure got a lot of books," he said as Ryou shrugged.

"Oh well, doesn't make much of a difference…"

Harry was about to ask what he meant when James walked in. "Hey, kids, guess where we're going?"

"Diagon Alley?" asked Ryou, bored.

"N…how'd you guess?"

"Well it's obvious really. We received our course list and their materials. After receiving something like this from any sort of school, any normal being would proceed to buy all needed materials. Like I said, it's obvious." James and Harry stared at him as if he'd grown a second head (not like it would surprise them very much, Ryou being possessed and all).

"Oh…umm…brilliant observation son!" said James trying to pull himself form his stupor. "But do you know who's going to meet us there?"

"Do you really want me to answer that or not?" Ryou asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Well…uh…Why don't you two get ready and we'll leave in half an hour," said James walking off.

"Ryou, did you…you are Ryou right?" asked Harry looking over at his brother.

"Really, Harry, who else would I be? It's not like Bakura and I am _that _different," he glared and left the room. Harry blinked and began to clear the table while his head spun.

**LALALA**

"Who does he think he is?" muttered Ryou darkly. "I don't have to tell him anything, it's my life, leave me alone!"

_/Whoa, Ryou, calm down. What's bothering you/_

/Nothing/

_/You liar, I know when you're upset, stupid, I can sense your emotions and inner conflicts! Now talk to me. /_

Ryou sighed. He knew Bakura was right, but his family had been drilling him so much lately. Ryou expected it from Harry, but not from everyone else in the house too. Harry had started asking him how he was every chance he could when they were alone. His father was trying to bond with him having left him so much when they were in Japan and his mother was almost as bad as his brother in asking if he was okay. Even Remus had taken to finding random moments to talk to the boy. He couldn't take it anymore.

/Everyone is annoying me. I just want to be left alone. Is that too much to ask/

_/Honestly, Ryou, you have a spirit residing in the back of your head every moment of every day, you can never be alone. /_

/Gee, thanks a bunch, Bakura. /

_/Why don't you suggest, nicely, that you need some privacy? They're just worried about you. Neither of them knows too much about you. I'm sure they're curious and want to know what kind of person you are. /_

/I guess…but why did they all suddenly start attacking me at once/

_/Probably just a coincidence. Harry and your father are really alike and your mother seems to be a very caring woman. It's in the human nature to be curious, I wouldn't worry about it. Now let's blow off a bit of steam in a healthy way. /_ Bakura appeared next to him in spirit form.

"Do you want to throw something?" he asked cheerfully. Ryou perked up and grabbed a knife from a drawer in his desk.

"What do I get to throw it at?" Ryou said in a much better mood.

"Hm, why don't you try…the target we placed up for your classes? We wouldn't want to break anything. That'll make your family even more disturbed," Bakura smirked as Ryou nodded and threw the knife.

**LALALA**

Harry, Ryou, and James arrived at Diagon Alley and met the Weasley's, Joey, and Hermione at Gringotts. After a few people grabbed some money they split into smaller groups to shop for school. Harry, Hermione, Ron, Ryou, and Joey all headed to the bookstore first. They walked around the store picking up all the books they needed, and in Ryou's and Hermione's case, a few extra books they wanted.

After paying for their text books, they bought more potions ingredients and everything else they needed. Joey and Ryou split off from the trio since Ryou had to buy a few extra things for Divination.

The trio being left alone, Harry decided to ask Ron and Hermione for help.

"How's your summer been going, Harry?" asked Ron as the three stopped to buy some ice cream since they had an hour left until they had to meet the others.

"All right, I've…" Harry looked around. "I've been trying to talk to Ryou more, but he keeps pushing me away. You don't think I'm doing anything wrong, do you?"

Ron and Hermione thought about it for a bit.

"I don't think so, Harry. He might feel a bit invaded, though, try not to be too overbearing when talking," Hermione said.

Harry nodded. "I see what you mean; I guess I have been asking him how he is a lot lately…" Seeing Ryou and Joey coming back he stopped their discussion and waved the two over.

**LALALA**

(Before with Joey and Ryou.)

Ryou and Joey left the three and started walking towards Prophecy and Company (Lame name, I know). "Joey, has Harry talked to you at all…about me?" asked Ryou suddenly as they entered the store.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, he's been talking to me every chance he gets and…it's a bit nerve racking," explained Ryou looking at a set of tarot cards.

"Yes, he did…" started Joey as Ryou looked over at him. "He asked me if you were always this secretive," Joey smiled, "I told him you just had to warm up to someone before you really talked to them. I guess he took my words to heart, sorry."

"Its fine, I was just…confused. I just need some space, my whole family is trying to get to know me at once," said Ryou grabbing the cards he was satisfied with. He walked over to other areas in the store looking at all the things there. He took a glance at his list and cringed. "Now why do we need a mini crystal ball? Even though their not actual size they're still expensive!" Ryou looked around and caught sight of the balls.

"Well, it is advanced Divination," said Joey, "You obvious will have more homework I'm guessing."

Ryou nodded and looked at all of them finding the least expensive, but still in good shape, crystal he could find. With a lighter bag than he would have liked, Ryou and Joey left. They quickly caught site of Harry, Ron, and Hermione and sat down at a table with them.

"You find everything you needed?" asked Ron.

"Yeah, cost an arm and a leg, but I got it," said Ryou.

After the three finished their ice cream the group headed to the meeting point and waited for everyone else to arrive.

**LALALA**

_Ryou was running through a dark forest. He was chasing someone in a silver cloak that was several yards ahead of him. "I have to catch him, he won't get away," he panted. Jumping over roots and dodging branches he chased the man. _

_Stopping in a clearing the two looked at each other expectantly._

"_Who are you and what are you doing here at Hogwarts?" Ryou shouted._

"_Who I am is none of your concern and what my purpose is you'll find out too late," said the man. He had a baritone voice and was taller than Ryou, his posture was arrogant, but Ryou couldn't see his face under his hood._

"_You sound familiar?"_

"_Yes, but you won't remember me," said the man raising his wand. Ryou went to grab his but found he had forgotten it in the common room. /I'll take over, Ryou, don't worry about this scum/ said a voice at the back of his mind. _

_/Are you sure/ asked Ryou as he felt his Yami nod._

_/Positive/ was the reply as Ryou felt a warm sensation and his Yami took control._

"_All right, fool, let's dance," said Bakura as the man chuckled._

"_Just as I expected," he said. "Now I've got you right where I want you. You won't be able to help your little friend ever again, tomb robber. I've been doing research." The man swung his wand around in a circle to the side of himself. He loudly declared an incantation as Bakura stood there frozen._

_/Bakura, why aren't you moving/ Ryou shouted._

_/I-I can't/ Bakura gasped. /Ryou, I can't switch with you that-it's pulling me in/_

_As the last word was spoken all Ryou could shout was, "BAKURA!"_

**LALALA**

Ryou jumped and awoke with a start. He was sitting and gasping for air in his bedroom at home. Putting a hand against his chest, he felt his fast heart rate slowing down. 'What was that,' he thought. 'It was just a dream, right, just a dream?'

_/Ryou, are you all right, all I could hear was a loud screaming from your soul room. /_

Ryou sighed in relief. /I'm fine, Bakura, just had a dream. /

_/Are you sure it was just a dream/_

/Is it not/

_/Tell me about it. /_

Ryou told the spirit about his dream and waited impatiently for his Yami's response.

_/I don't think that's just a dream, Ryou, I think it might be a vision. /_

/But…oh, Bakura, if it is, what do I do/

_/Perhaps you should ask someone about this? Someone not me. /_

/I…I can't, Bakura, it's so hard I…/

_/Well then look up the signs in a book and keep your eyes open. Now get some sleep. / _Bakura sounded annoyed and Ryou sighed.

/Sorry. /

_/Don't worry about it. /_ Bakura's tone softened. _/Don't just blow this dream off as another dream, though, actually keep it in your head, okay/_

Feeling Ryou nod, Bakura retreated back to his soul room and Ryou fell back asleep.

* * *

And though it is considerably shorter than the others it is an update. I will be really busy tomorrow with the end of the marching season social for Band and then I'm off to tour the next day. I won't be back until the first so don't expect an update for a while.

Review and tell me what you think!

-Maki-sama-


	4. In which school begins

I'm back from Colorado! It was awesome! I really hope everyone enjoyed the last minute chapter before hand, not really the best, but it was something. Thank you to all readers and reviewers last chapter!

Reminders:

/Ryou to Bakura/

_/Bakura to Ryou/_

'These contain the things that people think in their heads.'

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or Yugioh!

On with the story!

* * *

The Hogwarts express sped through the countryside. Harry, Ryou, and Joey all sat in one compartment, Hermione and Ron having to stay with the prefects. Hermione had made head girl (big surprise there) and Ron was still prefect. In the compartment, Harry was staring out the window and Joey was asleep. Ryou sat supposedly reading a book, but was actually thinking about his dream. 

'What happened to Bakura?' he thought biting his lower lip. 'I can't think of anything that anyone could do while we're together. Maybe if we were separate, except he clearly took control of our body in my dream.' Ryou's head spun in circles as he tried to analyze the dream. He had been trying to understand its meaning since he had experienced the dream. A few nights after the first, Ryou found the dream coming back almost every other night.

_/Ryou, are you all right? You've been staring at this page the whole ride. /_

/Hey, Bakura, I'm just thinking. /

_/About what/ _Ryou could feel his Yami smirk.

/You know what I've been thinking, Bakura. You've been reading my thoughts/ Bakura laughed at Ryou twitched at his Yami's strange behavior.

Thinking about what Bakura said, Ryou shook his head free of his thoughts and began to read his book.

**LALALA**

The train arrived at the castle and all the students filed off. Ryou, Harry, Joey, Hermione, and Ron got a carriage to themselves and talked about random subjects as they were led to the castle.  
They disembarked (awesome word!) their carriage and walked the remainder of the journey to the castle. The hall was filling with students as the quintet sat at the Gryffindor table and waited for the first years to arrive.

"Do any of you know if Professor Ishtar is staying?" asked Hermione with interest.

"No," said Ryou. "She decided she didn't need her brothers to be attacked again. Even though Yugi and company are better, she is still suspicious. Who do you think the new teacher will be?"

"No idea, I haven't heard a word from anyone!" said Harry, who was the most likely to get information from Dumbledore.

The group of first years walked nervously into the hall looking all around to see if there were any magical creatures they would have to fight in order to be sorted. After hearing Professor McGonagall tell them all they had to do was wear a hat, they all sighed in great relief.

The sorting hat sang a song and everyone in the hall clapped respectfully. Everyone was glad to not hear any warnings.

After all the first years were sorted, Dumbledore stood up from his chair.

"Good evening, students," he said with a smile. "Though it is unfortunate that many faces are not seen, let's not dwell on the leavings of our friends and family. Welcome to another year at Hogwarts. Mr. Filch would like me to remind you that you should check the list of illegal items on his door and that Magic is not allowed in the hallways. Please remember that the forbidden forest is off limits to all students, unless there is a class taking place there.

"I know you are all bursting to find out the new defense against the dark arts teacher, but unfortunately he couldn't make the feast. He's ill at the moment and will be joining us for classes tomorrow. With that being said, tuck in." Dumbledore sat down with a smile and twinkle in his eyes as food appeared on all the tables.

Joey and Ron immediately grabbed all the food in their reach while the other three took everything slowly.

"So, what kinds of classes are you taking, Harry?" asked Hermione as she buttered a dinner roll.

"I'm taking all the classes required to become an auror," said Harry. "It's pretty much the basic curriculum, but that's all right with me. What are you taking?"

"I changed my mind to become a healer so I'll probably be in many of the same classes as you to keep up with my magic, but Madam Pomphrey has offered to teach me extra classes on herbs and medical spells," Hermione said with a smile. "I can't wait for tomorrow!"

"That sounds like a great career for you, Hermione," said Ryou after he swallowed his pumpkin juice.

"What about you, Ryou, still into your divination?"

"Yes, so I've got a load more classes than you will all need to take," said Ryou in an offhand way.

"Good luck with your classes, then," said Hermione as everyone got up to leave. She and Ron ran to the front to lead students. Harry, Ryou, and Joey followed at the end so they could get the password, but were far enough to not look like lost puppies who the first years imitated well.

**LALALA**

Night came as the group headed to their dormitories for much needed sleep. Ryou sat in his bed with the curtains drawn around him.

/Bakura/

_/Yes, Ryou/_ asked the spirit as he appeared in front of him.

Ryou's eyes shot out of his head as he attempted to throw his hand over his Yami's mouth. "Bakura, you idiot, people can see and hear you at Hogwarts!" he whispered with a glare.

Bakura smirked. "I know, but maybe I can scare them by making all the boys think their dormitory is haunted. Or better yet, the girls," Ryou made to smack his Yami over the head, but unfortunately his hand went straight through.

"At least in the Ring I can hit you," muttered Ryou under his breath.

"Huh, what was that? Were you threatening your darker side, Ryou? Perhaps I am the hikari and you are the yami, oh no!" Bakura teased.

"Oh, shut up!"

"So, what's the matter?" asked Bakura after seeing the multiple death glares from his hikari.

"I…can't sleep," said Ryou lamely.

"You can't sleep? Why can't you sleep?"

"I'm scared…I don't want to watch the dream again," Ryou curled into a ball. "It's scary."

Bakura watched as his hikari stared through him at the end of the bed. "What if I take over your body while you sleep? Would you still have the dream?"

"Probably, you know I'd just be asleep in my soul room," Ryou sighed. "Maybe I should just give in, but I don't think I'll ever get to sleep."

"Why don't you talk to someone about it?" suggested Bakura.

"Who would I talk to, Bakura?

"Maybe the werewolf or Harry, he seems to be ready to talk to you."

"I won't talk to him," Ryou almost shouted. "I mean, I know he means well, but I just can't! He's like…well my brother," Ryou looked down. "But talking to Remus wouldn't be so bad…"

"He does appear to understand what it's like to be haunted by things. Perhaps not by dreams, but definitely by rejection and stuff, he is a werewolf. Maybe you really can relate to him. You are possessed by an evil spirit," Bakura grinned.

"Please, Bakura, you're anything but evil!"

"I was evil," Bakura glared, "Stop destroying my dignity, Ryou, that's just plain mean!"

Ryou laughed and Bakura pouted. "Whatever, I'm going to bed; I'll contact Remus tomorrow or something, night."

Bakura watched as his hikari immediately fell asleep as his head hit the pillow. He sighed as the boy began to slowly twitch in his sleep. During the rest of the night the cringing became worse and Bakura could do nothing to ease the boy's dream. "It will end sometime, Ryou. Hopefully not soon, but it will end. For now just take the time to figure it out, before it happens," Bakura disappeared as the sun rose.

* * *

I hope you liked the chapter and PLEASE review. I really don't care if you send me a flame, just offer some constructive criticism. I really enjoy hearing what my readers think about my writing abilities and/or my plots. So review and make me want to update this as soon as possible! I plan to finish this story, so even if you don't review I will not give up. 

Sorry the chapter is so short! There wasn't much else I could add without making it too much info. Also, please keep in mind that this will never be a yaoi. I am against that sort of thing(no offense meant, a few of my friends are bi, so...) and will not write it. The Bakura and Ryou relationship is strictly friendship.

**Game for the reviewers: Can you guess who the DADA teacher is this year? Kudos to anyone who guesses right!**

-Maki-sama-


	5. Classes and Confessions

Hey you guys! Thank you all readers (those who reviewed and didn't) and I hope you enjoy this chapter! I got one question in a review on if Joey was using a charm or not and here is the answer.

When they were out in Diagon Alley and stuff or if they had to go anywhere big Joey had the language charm. Now that he is at school and still learning, most of this story he will probably speak in broken English since he's only been learning it for a summer. I hope you can all understand this. If he gets a job in England after Hogwarts he would need to know English and it's always fun to learn another language. So he is (and probably for the rest of this story) not using a language charm anymore. That is all done with.

If anyone else has any questions just put them in your review. I'll answer them if they won't ruin the story for you guys.

As for the little guessing game here are the people who got it right: no one guessed so nobody won. ;.;

Reminders:

/Ryou to Bakura/

_/Bakura to Ryou/_

'The thoughts of the characters will be placed here.'

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or Yugioh.

* * *

Ryou woke sometime before his roommates and sat up slowly. He had experienced the dream again that night and he felt like he hadn't slept. Slowly getting out of bed, Ryou got ready for his first day of school. He filled his bag with books he might need making it heavier than it should have been. After showering and doing all other things he needed to do, he left the dormitory and sat in the common room. People had started to wake up and he didn't want to get in their way. It was the first day back.

Surprisingly, Joey came down the stairwell before any of the other boys from their dormitory did.

"Hey, Joey, want to head down to breakfast with me?" asked Ryou as he stood and greeted his sleepy friend. Joey just nodded and yawned as the two left the common room and walked to the great hall.

When they arrived few students were seated. Most of the teachers were there and as fifteen minutes passed the tables grew larger in population. When it looked as if all the students had arrived the mail came and dropped letters throughout the hall.

Hermione opened a copy of the Daily Prophet and read it while she ate. Ron received a letter from his mother to make sure he had arrived safely and a few other people around them had packages of supplies they had forgotten.

"Anything interesting in the paper, Hermione?" asked Harry as he took his timetable form Professor McGonagall.

"Not really, the usual escape of a death eater from the ministry officials and other random nonsense."

"Sounds like the wizarding world," said Ron as he ate.

"What classes does everyone have today?" asked Hermione after they had all received theirs.

"I start with Potions," said Ron with a groan.

"I think we all do," added Ryou who was looking over his entire schedule.

"Well at least we'll get it over with early, right?" Hermione tried to lessen the annoyance of having Snape first thing in the morning.

The quintet left the great hall earlier than they would normally have to be in the dungeons before the bell rang. They took seats in the back to avoid as much of Snape's wrath as they could. Joey went with Hermione and Harry with Ron which left Ryou to find another seat.

"Sorry, Ryou," said Hermione as Snape walked in. Neville quickly rushed in and sat next to Ryou, the only available seat.

"Hi," he said softly and hesitantly. Ryou gave him a smile of reassurance. He knew Neville was afraid of Snape and Ryou really wanted to help him with potions.

"Today you will be working in pairs," Snape started. "I want you to create the potion on the board. I will not tell you what it is because you will tell me when we finish at the end of this week.

"My other classes will take place in another area since these potions need to simmer over night. Please proceed and do not mess up." After Snape's speech Ryou and Neville read over the directions.

"I'll collect the ingredients," said Ryou as he turned to his partner, "can you get some water and start the fire?" Neville nodded and Ryou smiled as he left to grab the materials he needed.

_/You're acting too cheerful. /_

/What do you mean, Bakura/

_/People will get suspicious and I know you're not happy or healthy for that matter. You haven't slept well for weeks; they're bound to find out eventually. /_ Bakura sounded worried.

/I know, it's just…I don't want to worry them. / Ryou sighed as he brought everything back to the table and adjusted the fire.

_/When are you going to contact the werewolf/_

Ryou scowled. /He has a name, Bakura, how would you feel if I just called you 'spirit'/

Bakura growled. _/Then I would have to call you 'mortal' or 'human'/_

/I'm not going to; I'm just saying that you could learn his name. /

_/Fine, I'll learn his name after you talk to him about your dreams. Now do your potion. /_

Ryou helped show Neville an easier way to chop while he added some objects to the potion. Through most of the period Neville was nervous, but after Ryou's confidence boosting he didn't feel so bad.

"All right, class, it's time to go. Place your materials in separate piles on your desks in an organized manner. Also, as a warning, know what this potion is by Wednesday."

The students cleaned up and quickly left.

"Where are we headed next," asked Ron.

"Looks like we're headed for Care of Magical Creatures," said Harry looking at Ron. "At least we are," he turned to Ryou, Hermione, and Joey. "You guys?"

"I've got Divination now, see you guys at lunch," Ryou said as he turned down another hallway with a wave.

"We have Arithmancy," said Hermione as she pointed to Joey.

"Well, then I guess we'll see you later," said Harry as the four separated to different areas of the school.

"This is really weird," said Ron as Harry looked at him confused. "Well, we've had Hermione in all our classes except Divination since first year, it's the first time we've been separate."

Harry nodded as they approached Hagrid's hut.

"I wonder what we're looking at today," said Harry as Hagrid exited his hut.

"That's a secret, 'Arry," he said cheerfully. "But I tell yeh, it's something really interesting!"

Harry smiled; everything that happened in Hagrid's class was interesting…and dangerous.

**LALALA**

Hermione and Joey walked to Arithmancy, half the way in silence.

"So you decided to stay in the class I see," said Hermione after a while.

"Yes, I think it interesting," said Joey with a slight blush at his broken English.

"You're English is getting a whole lot better, Joey," Hermione said to him seeing his discomfort. He shook his head. "Yes it is, trust me; it takes babies forever to learn their first language. You've picked up English in a few months this well, that's really good."

Joey smiled. "Thank you very much."

They arrived at the classroom and took their seats. Today would be an introduction to what they were going to learn through out the year.

**LALALA**

Ryou sighed as he began his walk to the north tower. 'I love the class, but it's hard when there's no one there,' he thought.

_/What's wrong, Ryou/_ Bakura asked having taken a nap during Potions and sounding more awake.

/Well…I feel like nobody wants me around right now… / said Ryou as he sighed again.

_/Why do you think that/_

/In potions, none of my friends sat by me. They left me alone to find another partner. With all the time Harry keeps trying to talk to me, you would think he would at least sit by me. Yet none of them did. /

_/I wouldn't worry about it. Next time you have a group project ask to sit by Hermione or Joey or someone, okay/_

Ryou nodded. /I'll try…it's just lately…no one seems to care as much. /

_/I think it's because the war is over. Everyone is grateful for the end of Voldemort's reign and they all are trying to adjust to life without him. /_

/Okay, thanks, Bakura. / Ryou smiled as the link cut off and he began to climb the ladder to Professor Trelawney's classroom.

Shortly after everyone took their seats, the professor appeared from her chair and 'predicted' great futures for them all.

"This year we will be working in further study on crystal balls and reading certain objects like tarot cards and palms. There will be other things that we will learn, but that will only happen if all goes according to schedule," she announced to the class. "Please take out your miniature crystals and show them to me." The Professor walked around the class to make sure everyone had a crystal ball of the right size.

"Good, you're first assignment for the next two weeks is to gaze into the crystal every night. If you see anything in the fog, record it. Look through your books to try and find a meaning. After the two weeks are up we will talk about one vision from everyone's paper."

"What if we don't see anything?" asked Lavender Brown.

"Then, my dear, you do not have the inner eye and will have to leave this class," said the Professor in a monotonous tone. Many people looked around with fear in their eyes.

Ryou knew they were thinking of just making things up, that's what anyone would've down if they couldn't see anything. He just couldn't understand why anyone who didn't have the 'inner eye' would sign up for advanced divination.

**LALALA**

Ryou packed his things as Professor Trelawney walked over to his lonesome table. "You are troubled, young Ryou," she stated as he looked towards her. She smiled at him. "Everything will turn out all right," she said as she went back to her chair. Ryou knew that Trelawney wasn't a fraud and just acted like one for her other classes. Every time Ryou had taken a bit longer to pack his things up the year before she would talk to him. He could feel the 'inner eye' pulse from her and understood she was a strong seer. Ryou smiled slightly as he left the room. 'I should take extra lessons from her, and then I wouldn't have to feel so alone,' he thought.

He walked to the great hall and took a seat next to Hermione. "How was Arithmancy?" he asked as he picked up a sandwich and put it on his plate.

"We didn't do much," said Hermione. "All we found out was what the course would be like this year." She looked slightly annoyed at her waste of school time. Ryou chuckled.

"Does it sound like an interesting year?" Hermione nodded.

"What did you two do in Care of Magical Creatures?" asked Hermione as Harry looked up from his food.

"We're learning about dragons," he said.

"Did Hagrid actually…bring a dragon to class?" she asked and bit her lip.

"No, but he did say Dumbledore will allow us a field trip to Romania for a few days sometime later," said Ron with excitement in his voice. "Won't that be wicked?"

Harry smiled at Ron's enthusiasm. "I'm sure Hagrid is also looking forward to seeing Norbert again."

"Ryou, you have fun in divination?" asked Joey.

A shocked look crossed Ryou's face for a moment. "Well…yes, I've already got an assignment, but it won't be too hard. I'm surprised the class was so big."

"You mean people actually signed up for that class?" asked Hermione with wide eyes.

"Yes, but I'm sure many of them will leave once they realize how unconvincing their predictions are. If you fail the assignment, you get kicked out of the class. Professor Trelawney says only those who truly possess the 'inner eye' should be in the class."

"Guess that means it'll be a one man class," said Ron with a grin.

"Don't say that, I'm sure there's at least one other person who has the 'inner eye' in this school somewhere," Ryou replied slightly annoyed.

After lunch the quintet walked to the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom.

"I wonder who the teacher is this year," said Ron.

"Who knows, Dumbledore seemed to make it think it was someone we all knew, you know?" Hermione voiced her thoughts.

"Maybe it's your dad or something," Ron said nodding his head towards the Potter boys.

"I highly doubt that," said Harry.

"Why?"

"Because father has been very busy catching all those blasted Death Eaters, that's why," snapped Ryou as he walked ahead of the group.

"I wonder what's wrong with him," said Hermione.

"He just seems to be in a bad mood, I don't think he could sleep last night," said Harry.

"I guess we should just let him be alone for a couple of days," Ron finished.

Joey watched his friend turn swiftly into the classroom. 'Something is bothering you, Ryou, and I'm going to figure it out. With or without your help,' he thought.

**LALALA**

Everyone sat down and waited impatiently for the new professor to show up. It was five minutes into class before they heard footsteps from the office in the front of the room. The door opened and a familiar man walked out of the room carrying a spell book and his wand.

"Good afternoon, class, I'm sure you all remember me," said the man with a smile. "Remus Lupin, I'll be your Defense against the Dark Arts professor this year." ((Note that I have a strong urge to end it here, but I'm nice.))

The class stared wide eyed as their ex-professor stood in from of them smiling. "Nice to see you all, too," Lupin laughed lightly as some of the students drew themselves out of their stupors and smiled. "Now if you would please, all open to page six in your books."

The class took out their books and opened them.

"We will be starting with dangerous curses and how to counter and/or block them," Lupin started as he waved his wand at the board and notes appeared. He looked out at the class that was struggling to get out some paper and a quill. "We won't be taking notes that much this year, only before each section. Besides these few notes you will be learning the counter spells or the spells themselves." The students smiled. Finally, they had a teacher that would teach them…again.

**LALALA**

As the bell rang people stood up and began to leave for their next periods. Ryou looked at his timetable and sighed in relief. 'I have a free period, maybe I can talk to Remus,' he thought.

Ryou stood up and walked towards the front of the class carrying his bag over his shoulder. "Uhh…Professor, can I…" he stopped.

Lupin looked at him. "What is it, Ryou?"

"Can I talk to you about something? I mean, if you don't have time its fine, I can wait. Of course there is always the possibility that you don't want to, so I'll just leave if that's the case. I'm sorry for bothering you and…" Lupin cut him off.

"Ryou, its fine, I have a free period right now and would be happy to listen," he said with a smile. Ryou blushed having realize he was rambling.

"All right…"

Ryou followed Lupin into his office and took the seat that he was offered.

"Tea?" asked Lupin as Ryou nodded while staring at the floor. A tea cup full of liquid entered his vision as he looked up to find Remus sitting across from him. "What did you want to talk about?"

"I…" a thought suddenly passed the boys mind and his face lost color.

/Bakura! I haven't told him about you at all/

Bakura chuckled. _/I realized this the other day. I think you know him well enough now to tell him your secret, he told you his. /_ Ryou nodded as Remus looked on confused.

/But…how do I tell him/

_/Ryou, you've got to find out ways to do this yourself. What if I'm asleep or something and you have to make a decision. I may not always be here, you know. /_

Ryou's eyes widened at the realization. "What if my dream comes true," he whispered as Remus patiently waited.

"I…have to tell you something first," Ryou said looking down.

"Yes?"

Ryou opened the front of his robes and pulled out a large piece of jewelry. It was a circle containing a triangle and had five (I think that's right) dangling spike type ornaments hanging from it. "This is the Millennium Ring," he started. "My father gave it to me when he was still thought to be a muggle. He was an archaeologist and brought me many things that he thought interesting. He told me that when he saw this he felt destined that I should have it," Ryou took a deep breath. "From the moment I put it on, I started to have memory lapses and sometimes would hear a voice speak to me in my head.

"I started to get scared, especially when my friends and I were put into danger. That is when I realized that an 'evil spirit' lived within the ring. This spirit would take control of my body, thus explaining the memory loss and extra voice. He put our souls into a card game and we would have died it he had won, but my friend, Yugi, had the Millennium Puzzle. This object also held a spirit and he fought against my Yami, the spirit inside my ring.

"Throughout the next year I still experienced these problems and in addition I would have random cuts and bruises of abuse. I could never get rid of this spirit, he always returned. It wasn't until after a card tournament that we figured out the significance of these spirits. Mine is the soul of a tomb robber thousands of years ago and my friend's was that of a Pharaoh, both from Egypt.

"The people who helped Voldemort to enter the grounds last year were my friends and the short one was the one with the Pharaoh spirit. The tomb robber and I became friends, though he used to beat me, I forgave him. My Yami threw a piece of the Puzzle into a dark realm called the 'Shadow Realm'. That's were these two I guess…get their power, well the items at least. The Pharaoh is no more.

"As for these items there are seven of them, the Puzzle, Ring, Tauk, Scales, Key, Eye, and Rod. My friend Marik has the rod, and his sister the Tauk. The Rod can control people and the Tauk can tell the future. A man named Shadi has the Scales and Key. They can open a person's heart and weigh it. The eye is…well I don't know anymore, but I think it's in my trunk. It can read minds. The Puzzle kind of just hold the power of the Pharaoh I think, I'm not too sure. And my ring can find things."

Ryou looked over at Remus for any sign of confusion.

"Tell me this…" he began. "Does this spirit still live within the item?" Ryou slowly nodded as he tensed up.

_/Wow, he really wants to know everything, doesn't he? I mean, you go and explain a whole ton of stuff to this guy and he asks if I'm here. /_ Bakura said through their link.

/Shush, Bakura, this is hard enough. /

"So, what's he like? Is he still evil?"

"No…" Ryou cringed as his Yami screamed from his soul room. "Oh, no, you aren't, Bakura," he accidentally yelled aloud. Ryou quickly covered his mouth and blushed.

Remus smiled. "I take it he likes to be feared," Ryou nodded. "This is you're little secret, right?" Once again he got a nod from the boy. "Something also tells me this isn't what you meant to tell me."

"Actually…That was just to explain a character in a dream I've had." Remus leaned forward slightly in interest.

"A dream, you say?"

"Yes," Ryou began. "Keep in mind that throughout half of last year, my Yami and I were separated and it gets lonely if a voice just suddenly disappears from your head."

Remus nodded.

"In my dream I am chasing a man in a silver cloak through the forbidden forest. I chase him through the trees until we reach a clearing. Here he tries to erase my memories of him, but my Yami, Bakura as I call him, said he would take control since I had forgotten my wand. The man says that Bakura won't be able to help me. He swings his wand and declares an incantation that freezes Bakura there. I ask him why he won't move, but h just says he can't. He tells me that it's pulling him in and as I scream out his name I feel like a half of my soul is being ripped out of me," Ryou looked at Remus. "Then I wake up."

Remus and Ryou sat in silence for a few seconds as the professor let it sink in. "How long have you been having these dreams?" he asked.

"I think since the end of summer."

"How frequently have you had them?"

"Almost every other night," said Ryou as he bit his lip.

"You have the 'inner eye'…" Remus started. "Ryou, I don't think this is just a dream," he looked the boy in the eye. "I would keep your guard up," he smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone about your dream."

Ryou sighed in relief as he stood. "Thank you for listening Pro-…"

"Please, Ryou, call me Remus. We are friends, right?" Ryou smiled at nodded.

"Thanks," he said as he was led to the door and left the classroom. Glancing down at his watch he realized it was time for dinner. He had spent his whole free period talking to Remus, but he really felt like a great load had been lifted off his shoulders.

_/See, it wasn't that bad now was it/_

/Next time don't yell when I say you're not evil. That really hurts, you know. / Bakura grinned inside his soul room.

_/Why else would I do it/_

/You're rotten to the core. /

_/You got that right, Ryou! But remember, I'm part of your core, too. /_ Ryou could just imagine his Yami sticking his tongue out just then and laughed to himself.

/You're such a dork. /

_/Am not/_

Ryou blocked out his Yami's rants as he walked in just in time for the food to show up on the tables. 'Today had been a great first day back,' he thought as he sat down to enjoy the feast.

* * *

This was probably the longest chapter I have written (Wow, about 4000 words!). Okay, maybe I'm exaggerating, but it feels like it! So what did you think? Please tell me in a review no matter what it is.

Note that I probably did really badly on the descriptions of items and stuff, but I really don't pay too much attention to them so it's bound to be horrible. I tried and I doubt even Ryou knows every single detail about them. Trust me; I have NOT seen the whole show, so…yeah.

Once again, hope you enjoyed and give me any ideas on what you may want to see happen in the story, maybe I'll use it and give you a chapter dedication!

-Maki-sama-

**PS: Can anyone guess the foreshadow in this chapter?**


	6. In which we can see clearly

First of all I'd like to thank all the readers and most especially those who reviewed. I repeat again that this will not be a yaoi. I do hope everyone is enjoying this story. School shouldn't start for another maybe 2.5 to 3 weeks, but just remember that I probably won't be able to update as much anymore. I still have books to read for AP English and papers to write, tennis just started, and I need to teach my friend trombone in 2.5 weeks! Very busy, so here it is!

Reminders:

/Ryou to Bakura/

_/Bakura to Ryou/_

'These contain the thoughts that the people think.'

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or Yugioh.

* * *

Weeks passed and Ryou's health was deteriorating. Dreams haunted his nights and every time he snapped at someone they would ask what was wrong. Throughout most of his free periods he would either go to the library or sit by the lake. He had done this so much that everyone grew more worried as the days went on.

"Would people just leave me alone for once," snapped Ryou quietly and sharply as he walked to divination. Ron had been right in saying that Divination would become a one man class. After the first couple days of the school year people began to drop like flies from the class.

_/Why are they bothering you now, Ryou/_ Bakura asked from within the ring.

"I don't know, just because I look tired. Yes, I know I've been tossing in my sleep. No, nothing is wrong with me. Why else would I be snapping, I can't sleep at night?" Ryou hissed through his teeth as though having a conversation with Harry and Ron. "They're just adding more stress to my life. I don't need stress right now!"

Bakura appeared next to Ryou and walked with him in spirit form to divination.

"They just care about you, Ryou."

"Then why am I alone every time we have a class together?" Ryou stopped under the ladder. "I normally want them to notice me, but lately all I want is to be left alone."

"You're tired," said Bakura. "If you don't get any sleep the next couple of nights, I'm taking control of your body and marching you straight to the headmaster, got it?"

Ryou blinked and stared at his Yami. It had been a long time since the spirit had taken control of his body forcefully and it surprised him.

"Look, Ryou, everyone is worried about you. I'm worried about you! You need to stop these dreams," Bakura whispered forcefully.

Ryou sighed. "I know…but I don't think anyone can stop visions in their dreams. If I don't get any sleep in the next two or three nights I'll talk to Dumbledore."

"Good," Bakura said before he disappeared from sight and Ryou climbed the ladder.

"Hello, Ryou," Professor Trelawney greeted him when he arrived at the top.

"Hello, Professor," he replied as he took the seat she indicated he should take.

"You're a little later than usual today. Is anything the matter that you wish to share?" she watched him as he took out his supplies.

"Just friend issues, nothing much," said Ryou. "What are we going to work on today?"

"Today, we will be trying the art of understanding a person's future through images in a crystal ball," she pulled the cloth off of the ball in the center of the table.

"The key to seeing these images are to have the person place their hands on the ball," she held her hands out as Ryou placed them close to the ball. Showing him where to put his hands, she opened a book. "The person needs to be relaxed for it to work and lots of seers use incense or other perfumes to relax them. Now breathe slowly and I will gaze at your future."

Ryou took slow, deep breathes as the Professor looked into the ball.

"I see a forest clearing," she began. "The image has a red tint and it looks to be dark outside. Wait, there's a change of scenery. I see snakes surrounding you in darkness full of blue fire." The professor looked towards Ryou. "That's all I can see, should we interpret these visions?"

Ryou nodded as he wrote down everything she had said. "So the forest would be the place, correct? Or maybe it means that this will happen in secret." Trelawney nodded as he continued to look through his book and she hers. "It will happen at night and…what does the red mean?"

"It can mean many things. Either you will experience pain or suffering or you will be almost killed by a wound. This death could be physical or emotional and we don't know the time that any of this will occur. The pain could happen a few times and it probably will since the whole image was in red."  
Ryou nodded. "So there are snakes…and snakes could be considered evil. Does that mean that evil is pursuing me or I will do an evil dead?"

"That too can be either one. It can also tell us the identity of your enemy."

"Okay…" Ryou said as he thought about the fire. "The blue fire would mean more of a rebirth experience, wouldn't it?" The professor nodded. "So this thing that might happen with cause a revelation or insight as to who I am."

The two sat in silence for a few minutes as Ryou let everything sink in. He could understand the forest and the snakes, but everything else was confusing him. It was obvious by his dreams that someone evil was after him. 'I'll have to think of this later,' he thought as he and Professor Trelawney started to put their things away.

When Ryou finished climbing down the ladder he began the long walk to the great hall. On his way through the hall towards the stairwell he ran into someone.

"Oh, sorry about that," he said as he moved over to allow them to pass.

"Watch where you're going, freak," said the voice of Draco Malfoy as he pushed passed. Ryou fell onto the railing from the force and glared daggers at the back of the boy's head.

"Some people never change," Ryou muttered and walked down the stairs.

He took his now becoming usual seat next to Hermione and looked at the food. He thought about what to eat for awhile and grabbed a roll.

"Aren't you going to eat anything else, Ryou?" asked Ron who quickly shoveled more food into his mouth. Ryou shook his head.

"I'm not really hungry right now," he said buttering the bread.

"You haven't eaten much at all lately," Joey whispered under his breath.

"At least try to eat something, you need to keep up your strength," Harry said concerned.

"Would you rather me throw it up later?" asked Ryou monotonously.

"Well, no…I just…"

Ryou picked up his things and left. "See you guys later." He wasn't in the mood for their lectures. 'Just because I'm not hungry doesn't mean you should force me to eat,' he thought as he entered the library.

Throwing his bag on the table as quietly, yet forcefully, as he could, Ryou caught a glimpse of light. "What the…"

He picked it up and saw that his crystal ball had fallen out of his bag. "You shouldn't be out of your bag," he said as he cleared a smudge off of it.

The fog cleared and Ryou's eyes widened. 'I don't need this right now,' he thought and reluctantly looked at the image.

'A snake, that's it,' he looked again, but all he saw was fog.

**LALALA**

"I'm really worried about Ryou, you guys," said Harry after dinner. They hadn't seen the boy except for in class.

"Me too, do you have any idea what's wrong with him?" Hermione asked as she lightly bit her lip.

"No idea. Every time I wake up during the night he seems to be in a nightmare. It's obvious by the circles under his eyes that he's not sleeping well. The thing that bothers me most is that he won't talk about it. What could he be dreaming about?"

"Maybe he just doesn't trust us with this sort of thing yet, give him time and he'll probably come around," Hermione said as they approached the picture of the fat lady.

"If he gets any worse we'll report him to Madam Pomphrey and Dumbledore, okay?" The boys nodded and Hermione said the password.

When they entered the common room they all looked around.

"I don't see Ryou," said Ron. "He can't be hiding; it's kind of hard to hide with his hair color."

Harry nodded as they found a table to do their homework. "Hopefully he'll be back later."

**LALALA**

"No matter how many times they try I don't talk, yet they keep trying," said Ryou. "I don't see how they can't get the hint!"

"Have you tried telling them, nicely, to just leave you alone," asked Remus.

"I can't, every time they talk to me I get so angry and know that if I try I'll just snap."

"Hm," Remus nodded. "Well, why don't you try to confront them about it? That way they won't be bothering you."

Ryou thought for a bit. "That might actually work. I'll try, but there are no guarantees that it will go as planned."

Remus smiled. "Good luck, Ryou."

"Thank you for listening, Remus, talk to you later," Ryou said as he left the room.

Ryou walked down the hall in a much better mood than he had been before the conversation. He had talked to Remus about his divination class and his friend issue. Overall the end of his day was much brighter than the beginning.

Arriving at the fat lady's portrait he said the password and entered the common room. He saw his friends sitting at a table, but a feeling of uneasiness washed over him. He had barely spoken to them and wasn't sure if they'd want to see him. Noticing an empty chair, he sat down and pulled out some paper to start his homework.

**LALALA**

Joey groaned as he sat up in bed. He had been hearing small whimpers all night and they were keeping him awake. 'Who on earth would be up at this time,' he thought. He was about to go back to sleep when a loud scream made him jump in shock. He quickly got out of bed and found the source of the scream.

Pushing back the curtains of Ryou's bed, he found his friend in the middle of a nightmare, or so he thought.

"Bakura," shouted the boy as he thrashed around. His eyes snapped open and he sat up quickly breathing in sharp gasps of breathe.

"Ryou, what is the matter?" asked Joey concerned.

"Joey…" Ryou looked at him with horror in his eyes.

Joey looked around the room surprised and relieved to find out none of the other boys had woken up. "Let's go to the common room," he said and stood up.

Ryou nodded and followed him down the stairs. They each sat down across from each other and sat for a moment in silence. "So what were you dreaming about?" Joey asked in Japanese (This whole conversation is in Japanese in case of eavesdroppers and so Joey doesn't have to struggle with English from this point forward).

Ryou jumped at the sound and his hand grasp the cord of his ring. "I…" Bakura appeared next to him in spirit form surprising both the boys.

"What are you two doing up at this time?" Bakura hissed having heard everything from before and finally voicing his annoyance. "It's two in the morning and you're up having a talk?"

"Bakura…I was dreaming…" The spirit looked at his tired hikari and sighed.

"So why are you two down here then?"

"I woke up when I heard sounds and Ryou screamed. I checked and he woke up not too long later," said Joey in reply.

"It was the vision again, right?" Ryou nodded and bit his lip.

"It seemed worse this time," he began. Looking at his Yami and Joey he said, "Do you think it's time for it to occur?"

"Only time can tell," said Bakura.

"Wait a minute," Joey blinked. "What's this dream and vision you guys are talking about?"

"Oh, you don't know…sorry I forgot," said Ryou who looked down. "I've been having this dream for a while now. I'm chasing a guy in a cloak and he says this spell when Bakura takes control of my body. After he finished the chant, I feel like I'm being split in two and then I wake up," Joey nodded in understanding. "Bakura, Remus, and I don't think it's just a dream, but a vision."

"Remus?" asked Joey.

"Professor Lupin," Bakura informed. "Ryou has spoken to him many times about this dream and other issues."

"So that's where you've been on breaks," Joey exclaimed. "Do you know how worried everyone else is when you just disappear?"

Ryou looked down and shrugged. "I don't want to talk to them about anything." Joey sighed and nodded his head.

"I get it," he said. "Thanks for finally telling me."

"Sorry I didn't talk sooner," Ryou began. "I didn't want to worry anyone and they've all been bothering me. I've been so tired that all I can do is snap at them. I don't know what's going on right now."

"You know," Joey thought for a second. "If you want to figure out this dream you could always ask Hermione. I've noticed she's doesn't want to force you as much as Harry and Ron do. She's also very clever, I'm sure she could help."

"Won't she tell the others, though," Bakura added. "They've been best friends for years."

"I think she could keep a secret," Joey said. "But it is up to you, Ryou."

Ryou shrugged. "I'll think about it…but we do need some sleep, there are classes tomorrow."

Joey and Bakura nodded. "Ah, sweet slumber in my soul room," Bakura said like it was the greatest thing in the world. "See you two in the morning…though you won't see me," he cackled silently as he disappeared.

"That was…dramatic," Joey blinked in confusion.

"He does that occasionally, I think he's trying to convince me that he's still evil," Ryou cringed at the voice that replied. "He doesn't sound much tired anymore," he smirked. Ryou and Joey headed back to bed and tried to get as much sleep as possible which was hard on Ryou's part. (End of Japanese)

* * *

That's it for now! I'm having a bit of "what to do now!" block so…like I said, it'll take me a bit of time before I can get another chapter up.

Tell me what you think.

-Maki-sama-


	7. Burning Leaves

I have returned! Yes, after a long interval of withdrawal and writers block I can finally write another chapter, wahoo! I'm SO sorry it took this long, but with all the craziness going on I couldn't do anything. Tennis is…in it's second month and I'm one week into school, yeah so this is finally a weekend for me and I plan to end it with this!

Reminders:

/Ryou to Bakura/

_/Bakura to Ryou/_

'The thoughts are here.'

Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh or Harry Potter.

-Beginning of Chapter-

Ryou and Joey slowly made their way to breakfast some days later. Ryou hadn't gotten anymore sleep and needed someone to make sure he didn't fall over. "Ryou, you should go to see Madam Pomphrey about this. She may have a sleeping potion," Joey commented after he caught his friend when Ryou had stumbled.

"I know," Ryou yawned. "I'm going to ask her later today."

"Good," Joey replied as they sat down at the Gryffindor table. "You need it."

"Good morning, guys," Hermione said with a smile that quickly left her face. "Ryou, you look like…well to put it bluntly, a ghost. I know you're normally pale, but…this is unhealthy."

Ryou smiled innocently, "Don't worry about me, I'm fine." Joey gave him a look that he returned.

Ron sighed exasperatedly, "It's finally the weekend," he said with a grin. "What should we do?"

"I don't know," said Harry. "We could go outside and maybe fly or sit around by the lake."

"That sounds like fun," Hermione smiled looking at Ryou and Joey.

"Yes, I would enjoy it," said Joey as Ryou nodded with a yawn.

"So it's decided," Hermione beamed, "We're going to the lake!"

"Hey," Ron groaned. "What about flying?"

The quintet made their way to the lake after breakfast and found a patch of shade under a tree. The leaves fell gently onto the ground as a soft breeze sent ripples across the water. Hermione and Ryou sat to the side with books and Joey watched Harry and Ron play wizard's chess.

After the boys were deeply engrossed in their game, Hermione spoke up in a whisper, "Ryou?"

"Hm," Ryou mumbled without looking up.

"What's wrong," she asked, concerned.

Ryou was startled by her question and his head snapped up, hitting the tree he was leaning against. "Ow," he said and rubbed his head.

"Oh, sorry, Ryou," Hermione put her book down. "I didn't want to bother you about it, but," she hesitated, "I've noticed how tired you are and that you aren't eating as much. I really don't mean to pry, but I'm worried."

Ryou looked at her and bit his lip. 'What am I supposed to do,' he wondered.

_/Maybe you should tell her/_ A voice broke through his thoughts.

/Bakura! I…are you sure/

Ryou felt Bakura nod and sighed. "I'll need to," Ryou hesitated. "Talk to you alone…" he trailed off.

Hermione looked shocked for a second before a smile graced her lips. "Okay."

Looking to the side, Ryou reached for a leaf, but a small movement caught his eye. He slowly turned towards the forest and jumped back as a brown snake came closer. He yelled and pulled out his wand, pointing it at the creature.

"Stay back," he stuttered. "I'll…curse you or something…"

His friends watched in shock as Ryou continued to gape at the snake. It hadn't move from its spot. "Hey, Harry," Ron whispered to his friend. "Did you know Ryou was afraid of snakes?" Harry shook his head slowly.

"I mean it," Ryou snapped. "Leave me alone!" He quickly turned and ran toward the castle, the snake stayed in its place for a few seconds before it sauntered back into the forest.

Harry, Ron, Joey, and Hermione watched the white haired boy run until he was out of their sight. "Um…what do we do now?" asked Ron uncertainly as Hermione threw a stick at him.

"Be quiet, Ronald."

**LALALA**

When Ryou entered the school, he stopped for a breather. Why had he been scared by the snake's appearance? He didn't mind snakes, but he supposed that his fortune could be causing the jumpy air.

Ryou stood up straighter and started walking towards Gryffindor tower. If he was going to calm down he should be alone.

Arriving at the portrait of the Fat Lady, Ryou muttered the pass word and entered. He slowly walked to his dorm and lay down on his bed.

"What should I do," he whispered to himself.

"Maybe you could try not talking to yourself," Bakura replied from next to him.

"Ha ha, very funny, Bakura," Ryou glared and Bakura held up his hands in a silent truce.

"Hey, no use getting angry at me, I'm just trying to help. So you saw a snake, big deal, it didn't mean anything," Bakura muttered. "Though I wish I could've seen your face, your friends' were priceless." Bakura's snickers were cut off by a pillow being thrown through him. "Hey!"

"Fetch my pillow, boy," Ryou said as his hand flopped back onto his mattress.

"I'm not your pet, I'm an evil spirit! I could do evil things and take over you mind and body and…"

"Bakura," Ryou began slowly. "Get my pillow or I'll lock you in the ring and please try to stop rambling."

Bakura blinked for a moment. "Do you know how to do that?"

"Care to find out," Ryou asked with a grin as his Yami brought the pillow back in record time. "Thank you."

"So," the spirit began. "What should you do?"

"Throw another pillow at you, enslave you, and manage to get a good night sleep," was his light's response.

"Why, Ryou, you've somehow acquired a sense of humor over these last couple of years."

"Actually, I'm just too tired to think straight so everything I'm saying isn't even thought through before being said," Ryou buried his face in his pillow.

"Hey, no smothering yourself," Bakura pouted as he pulled the pillow away.

"I was not smothering myself," Ryou glared. "I was trying to sleep."

"Sure, that's what they all say."

"Bakura…" the spirit look at him confused. "You need help."

"Actually, you do, Ryou. You're the one talking to his past self," Bakura grinned before he quickly disappeared into the ring to avoid another pillow.

**LALALA**

Dinner came and Ryou was walking to the Great Hall. He took his last turn and saw a quick flash of silver.

"What was that," he said and stared for a few moments before moving on.

_/I think you've finally lost your mind, dear hikari. /_

/Oh, shush, Bakura. /

Ryou sat next to Hermione and looked at the assortment of food. He chose a piece of chicken and some vegetables.

"Where were you all day, Ryou," Harry asked in concern.

"I was in our dorm," said Ryou. "Where were you?"

"We looked for you, but then went to Hagrid's."

"Oh," said Ryou as he went back to his meal not wanting to talk.

The dinner plates cleared and desert came. The students drifted back to their common rooms, but all stopped at the light seen through the window.

"The Forbidden Forest is on fire," someone yelled as Dumbledore made his way to the front.

"Everyone to your common rooms," he shouted over the whispers and shouts of the students, who were slow to obey.

Ryou looked out the window and the fire shown in his eyes. All thoughts were directed on one memory, the silver around the corner.

-End of Chapter-

Yes, I know it's short, but if I added more the chapter wouldn't fit well. I hope you enjoyed it and once again I am really sorry it took so long. I've been thinking through this chapter this last month and trying to form it completely.

Now before everyone starts to yell at me about the forest, listen. If you have noticed in the last chapter, there are a few images being portrayed many times. For example there is the snake, fire, and forest. Kudos to those who figure out the reason for the fire, though I'm sure none of you will. I won't tell you the point of the forest burning, but you'll hopefully understand as the story progresses.

Thanks for reading and please tell me your thoughts.

-Maki-sama-


	8. In which they are torn to pieces

Hey everyone, time for another chapter. I hope it's not too short for you, but it was a difficult one to write. I was done with tennis, but someone got sick and I'm the replacement so I'm busy there. Band started and school has been like it always is. I hope you enjoy this chapter and not get too upset by it.

Reminders:

/Ryou to Bakura/

_/Bakura to Ryou/_

'These contain the thoughts of the characters.'

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or Yugioh.

* * *

Ryou ran as far up as he could before his breath became short. He stopped at a window and looked at the grounds of the school. In the corner of his eye he saw movement and there was the cloaked man. The man was running towards the castle, but not the entrance. When he had lost sight of the man, Ryou sighed and ran to the stairs. The teachers were just leaving and he knew he would never be able to catch the man.

Ryou sighed once more and began his trek to the Gryffindor common room. He had seen the man in the silver cloak many times in his dreams, but now that he knew the man was real, he didn't know what to do.

/Bakura/ He called to the spirit.

_/Yes, Ryou, I saw him. /_ came the growled reply.

/So I guess this means that he is real, right/ Ryou felt his Yami nod and he sighed. /Great. /

Arriving at the portrait of the fat lady, Ryou said the password and entered. He looked around at the scared expressions everyone in his house had on their faces and sighed. He had seen hopelessness last year, but he had never thought he'd see the fear that accompanied it ever again. He climbed the stairs to his dorm and collapsed on his bed.

"What am I going to do?" Ryou asked himself.

"For starters, you can try to stop talking to yourself," Bakura replied from next to him.

"Technically, Bakura, you are me and if I am talking to you now, then I'm still talking to myself," Ryou replied.

"Good point. What do you propose we do?"

"Would I have even asked that question before if I knew?" Ryou sighed as his Yami smirked. He knew Bakura was trying to make him feel better, but he really needed to know what to do.

Bakura sighed, "I don't know what to do, Ryou. Why don't we list the things we do know?"

Ryou nodded and thought. "The cloaked man is real and not just a part of my imaginations. If the man is real, then the dreams are real and you're going to get hurt. The man is up to something, obviously since he started a forest fire which means he's obviously not a muggle born."

Bakura raised his eyebrow, "How do you get the last one?"

"Well, with all the warnings about starting a fire in the forest on television, what kind of muggle would actually do it?"

"Oh, I get it," Bakura grinned.

"Yeah," Ryou drew the word out. "So that's what we know, what don't we know?"

"We don't know when your dream will occur."

"Or who the man is."

"Or what he is up to completely. He is after you or well…us."

"Well, judging on all the things we don't know being the important ones…we're screwed."

"Yeah, that's a good way to put it."

The boys looked at each other and simultaneously fell back. This was going to be a long night.

**LALALA**

Ryou sighed as he dragged his feet to the library. He had a few essays to write and thought it would be a good idea to finish them early. The last couple days, Ryou and Bakura had been listing everything they knew and trying to find out more. Countless hours were spent brainstorming ways to defeat the cloaked man.

He sat at a table and sighed beginning his work. 'Transfiguring another wizard is forbidden because…' Ryou laid his head on the table. 'I have no will to write this,' he thought. He began putting his supplies back in his bag when he heard a whooshing sound. He looked around and saw a piece of silver leave the library. Quickly finishing with his bag he swiftly followed the person. 'Its 9:30, it's obvious he's up to no good.'

Ryou followed the cloaked man stealthily into the night. 'I won't let him get away from me this time, I'll find out what he's doing!'

_/Ryou…/_

/Huh, Bakura? What is it/

_/Why are you following him/_

/So he stops doing whatever he's doing. I need answers, we need answers. He could be out to destroy the world/

Bakura sighed feeling his hikari's determination. _/Be careful. /_

Ryou did a double take at Bakura's tone. He continued to follow the cloaked man until he reached the forest and his heart skipped a beat. "Bakura, you don't presume this is…"

_/I don't know, Ryou, I don't know. I need you to do one thing though. /_

"What is it?" Ryou asked confused.

_/The Ring is a very special item, Ryou. I have used it for evil all my life. Now, in this lifetime, I have neglected its powers. Use it, Ryou. Use the ring and you'll find what you are looking for. I know you can defeat this guy. /_

"Bakura," Ryou laughed nervously. "You're acting like you're going to leave me."

_/Just in case, make sure the Pharaoh stays in line and Marik stays sane. Love your family and never forget me or I'll haunt you forever. /_

"You already do the last part," Ryou smiled lightly and continued through the forest.

_/How are you certain that you know the path he took/_

/I've been dreaming about this for quite some time, Bakura, I know the path by heart. /

Bakura nodded and let his hikari continue. 'I wish we could have studied a lot more before this encounter,' he thought. 'He has finally caught up to his grade level, yes, but…,' Bakura sighed and looked around his soul room. 'He's not ready for this, not for another loss.'

**LALALA**

Ryou quietly entered a clearing behind the cloaked man. The man slowly turned and Ryou saw his mouth curve into a smirk. "Who are you and what are you doing here and Hogwarts?" Ryou demanded.

"Who I am is none of your concern and what my purpose is you'll find out too late," he replied and Ryou felt déjà vu.

"You sound familiar," he said staring hard at the man.

"Yes, but you won't remember me," The man pulled out his wand as Ryou grabbed for his.

'My wand,' Ryou looked at his hand. He had left it in his dorm and had no way to retrieve it now. A warm sensation began to fill him and Ryou's eyes widened in shock.

/Bakura, no! You know what will happen, don't do this/

_/I have to Ryou… /_

"If I don't…no one else will," Bakura finished aloud, glaring at his enemy.

"Just as I expected," the cloaked man chuckled. "Now I've got you right where I want you."

"You will not take me."

The man laughed. "You won't be able to help your little friend ever again, tomb robber. I've been doing research," he grinned and began to wave his wand declaring the incantation the boys knew would come. Bakura tried to move and found he couldn't, he looked at the man; there was no way out.

"Ryou, remember what I said, don't lose hope and you will defeat him. I'll always be there with you."

/Bakura, no/

"I'm a part of you now, Ryou. You've grown so much and have really understood me. Thank you."

/Bakura, you can't! Please don't do this! You'll pull through, you'll break free/

As the last word was said with a resounding calmness a bright, blue light shot out of the wand and hit Bakura square in the Millennium Ring. A numb sensation filled Ryou's body and was followed by searing pain. 'It's tearing me apart,' he yelled in his mind as his mouth was already screaming.

'So this is how I fall,' Ryou heard Bakura's thoughts loud and clear, 'victim to an evil man out for revenge, heh, how ironic, that's how I fell last time.'

The last thread broke and Ryou felt consciousness return to him. "Bakura!" he shouted as his voice broke.

"What have you done to him, you monster!" Ryou yelled oblivious to the fact he had fallen on his knees during the pain. "What have you done!" he screamed. The man with the cloak just stood there smirking.

* * *

Updation complete! I wasn't planning on doing this until next chapter, but recent, as in just before I finished this, thoughts had me writing it now. Yes, I know you knew it was coming, but I was so sad writing it and I wonder if you were sad reading it!

Please tell me what you thought and I'm so sorry it took so long to update!

-Maki-sama-


	9. Half a person, living in lies

Here I am again! I hope you weren't too disappointed with the last chapter, but I've had that planned for awhile as you know. Thank you so much for the reviews! It makes me happy that people enjoy this story.

Reminders:

'The thoughts of a person are put here.'

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or Yugioh.

* * *

Ryou breathed heavily as his body tried to keep up with his mind's determination. The man was smirking at him and that was all Ryou could see. He could imagine a glint in the man's eyes, though he wished there was a clue as to who the man was.

"What have you done to him," Ryou repeated with a low growl, speaking through his teeth.

The man laughed. "I've only done what should have been done a long time ago. You're familiar with the occult, Ryou," Ryou gritted his teeth, "it's called an…exorcism. I've rid you of the evil demon residing in your body."

It took all of Ryou's willpower to not lunge at the man. "He's not an evil demon, you are!" Ryou yelled and the man chuckled.

"Then why don't you exorcise me, Ryou? It's too late; you'll never see your friend again, just like I won't see my father. My revenge has just begun. You won't survive me."

"Who are you?"

"You'll never know," a grin appeared on his lips as he raised his wand. Ryou's eyes widened and he realized what would happen if he stayed. Hoping for the best, Ryou ran. He ran blindly through the forest knowing he was probably being followed. Tripping at the edge of the trees and the grounds, he fell and all he saw was black.

**LALALA**

Ryou groaned softly as he moved onto his side, burying his head in his…pillow? Slowly opening his eyes, Ryou looked at his surroundings best he could without moving. Giving up on that, he carefully lifted himself into a sitting position. "I feel like I got hit by a truck," he moaned.

"You looked like it when brought in," a woman walked over to him with a steaming goblet. Ryou recognized her as Madam Pomphrey, the mediwitch of Hogwarts.

"Wait," Ryou sat up more tensely. "How did I get here? Who brought me? Last time I checked I was…" Ryou heard a chuckle and looked up to see the Headmaster had entered the room.

"Yes, Mr. Potter, last time you were conscious you were outside at the edge of the Forbidden Forest." Ryou grimaced at the name, but bowed his head nonetheless. "I won't ask for an explanation, but do rest up. Your friends have been worried about you," Dumbledore smiled and left the room.

"Madam Pomphrey," the witch turned to him. "How long have I been out?"

The witch smiled sympathetically. "For about five days now," she said. "Now drink this." Ryou took the goblet and sipped a small amount at first before drinking the rest in one gulp with a cringe.

He sighed at laid back against his pillows as the witch left. Rubbing his temples he recalled the last night he could remember. 'An exorcism,' Ryou sighed again. 'What am I going to do?' A tear traveled down his cheek before he fell into a deep sleep.

Ryou awoke hours later and looked around. "You're awake," said a relieved girl next to him; he jumped.

"Hermione," Ryou exclaimed. "What…what are you doing here?"

"I came to see how you were doing," she replied calmly. "I made everyone else go to supper; everyone is beside themselves in worry. What happened, Ryou?"

"I…" Ryou looked at his blanket and picked at a loose string.

"You can talk to me, Ryou. Please at least talk to someone, Joey, Harry, Bakura?" Ryou's hair fell off his shoulder into his face and his hands ceased movement.

"Ryou," Hermione sounded more worried. "What is it? Did I say something wrong?" She lightly touched his shoulder trying to get a response from him.

"He's gone," a croak escaped from the boy's throat, "He was taken from me and will never come back."

Hermione stared in shock as her friend's shoulders shook with every word.

"What do you mean, Ryou? Who's gone?"

"Bakura," he whispered in horror and Hermione gasped.

"Tell me everything." Ryou sighed and began from the beginning, his dreams.

When Ryou finished, Hermione was in a state of shock. She blindly reached out a hand and touched his shoulder lightly. "Ryou, why…do you know any reason why this…man did this?"

"I wish I did," he said quietly. "I hate him."

"Understandable, he did take probably your best friend from you."

"You know," Ryou began, "Bakura wasn't always my best friend."

"But you two have been together for so long, right? Doesn't that mean…"

"He used to beat me…when I first got the ring he was evil, he was out to kill the pharaoh, and collect all the items," Ryou sighed. "I never knew any of this because I had no memories of being possessed, but if I disobeyed he would teach me not to." Ryou pulled up his sleeve and uncovered a long scar on his bicep.

"Did he give that to you?" Ryou nodded and Hermione stared in surprise. "You two were so close, I would've never thought…"

"He changed and so did I, once I stopped hanging out with the pharaoh he began to warm up to having a host like me," Ryou smiled. "I enjoyed my time with him more so than the others, I was never alone…" he choked back a sob. "Hermione, I can't go on like this, I feel like half a person!"

"Ryou…"

**LALALA**

Harry sighed as he left his last class of the day. He hadn't seen Ryou since lunch and was really worried about his brother. Walking to the hospital room, Harry recalled how his brother was found. 'Why was he outside? And by the forest too?' he wondered.

He entered the hospital wing and saw his brother sitting up in bed eating his dinner. "Ryou, you're awake," he said.

"Hi, Harry," Ryou gave a tired smile. "How are you?"

"How am I? Ryou, I'm not the one who was found unconscious outside the forest!" Ryou visibly cringed.

"Bad question, sorry."

Harry sighed and sat in an empty chair. "No, I've just been worried. What happened out there?"

Ryou gave him a look. "Nothing."

"That's a lie and you know it. What's going on?"

"Harry…I don't want to talk about it right now."

"You haven't wanted to talk about anything lately. It's like you're hiding something from all of us. I doubt even Joey knows!"

Ryou blinked a few times and stared at his brother before looking down. "I'm…sorry…"

"Ryou, I…I didn't mean to upset you, I'm just worried. Everyone is worried. You're so secretive about everything. You disappear at random you, yell at us, and just refuse to explain any of it. We don't know what to do or think!"

"There's nothing you can do."

"Mr. Potter," both boys turned. "Oh, Ryou Potter, you will be allowed to leave now, if that's all right," Madam Pomphrey smiled.

"Oh, okay," he said as he got up from bed and put his tray on the table. "You should go to dinner, Harry; I'll see you in the dormitories later." Harry nodded and left the hospital wing.

As he was walking to dinner, Harry heard a whisper and turned around just in time to see a spell hit him square in the chest. He collapsed.

**LALALA**

Ryou sighed as he entered his room.

/Bakura? Bakura are you there/

Not hearing a response he sighed again and sat down on his bed. Ryou looked around feeling lonely and started to look through his trunk, bored. A small box caught his eye. He picked it up and opened it as a small round object the size of an eye rolled out. Ryou picked it up and almost dropped it in shock.

"The millennium eye…" he breathed staring at it as it glinted in the candlelight.

* * *

Yay, another chapter full of…whatever you all get from this. I've been busy lately and haven't been able to type anything, but this is the next chapter! Tell me what you think, I've got most of it already planned, but if you give any suggestions that would be awesome! _I may add a bit of romance at the way end of this fanfic, if you are against this idea, tell me and I won't, depending on how many people say no._ Thanks for reading!

-Maki-sama-


	10. In which the ritual is found

So next week I have finals and stuff. Holiday shopping has yet to finish, unfortunately I have no time for that because it would be a whole lot more fun than taking tests! I figure I might as well get this chapter out before next weekend since I'll be busy and I've wanted to update. Yay for finally having time! One more concert left and then I will be off Band for a while, so maybe I can get another chapter up this year, no guarantees though.

Thanks for all the reviews! It's great hearing from you guys!

Reminders:

'Thoughts of a person are here.'

_Voices_

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or Yugioh.

* * *

Ryou felt his body tremble and groaned wondering why he was shaking so much. Realization struck and Ryou opened his eyes. "Joey," his voice muffled by the pillow asked.

"Ryou, Harry is in the hospital wing! He been hit by a spell!" shouted the blonde as he quickly threw his school robe on.

Ryou looked at him in a daze. 'Harry was hit by a spell? But I just saw him last night; there's no way he could've been hit, right?' Ryou's thoughts were interrupted by a pile of clothes landing on top of him, "Argh!"

"Come, get ready, we have to find out what happened!"

"All right, all right, I'm coming," Ryou said as he dressed as fast as he could so Joey wouldn't get any more concerned. 'I don't know, maybe it's because Bakura is gone, but I don't know how to feel about this,' his thoughts wandered as he and Joey half ran through the castle.

When they reached the hospital wing, Hermione and Ron were already there. Hermione grabbed Ryou's hand and pulled him into the room farther away from Ron and Joey. "Do you think this has to do with that man," she asked quietly as Ryou surveyed his brother's unconscious form.

"I don't know," he began.

"What the matter with him?" asked Joey as he sat in a chair and looked up at the Mediwitch who had just entered.

"Hit with some sort of stunning spell I suppose. He has a bruise on his head, so I think he hit something when he fell. He was found in the hall last night after dinner," she said as she put a goblet on the small table next to Harry's bed. "Make sure he drinks that when he wakes up, he's going to have a terrible head ache." After the witch left the four arranged themselves around Harry's bed and waited for him to wake.

'A stunning spell,' Ryou thought as he stared off into space. 'Why would anyone want to stun Harry? Oh come on, Ryou, he is the 'boy-who-lived-and-then-killed-the-dark-lord-finally, he must have enemies. Yet…he hasn't had any problems with anyone lately, unless the cloaked man is after us both.'  
Ryou sighed as he picked a loose string on his robe. His thoughts were going in circles and he could do nothing about it. 'I feel so alone,' he thought and sighed once again.

"Harry!" someone shouted causing Ryou to jump a foot in the air.

**LALALA**

Harry groaned as he opened his eyes and heard a shout. "Will you keep it down," he mumbled and cringed at the immense pain he felt when he sat up. "What happened?"

"You were hit by a stunning spell and hit your head on something causing you to become unconscious," Ryou said seeing as no one else wanted to answer.

'Blunt as always,' Harry thought as he registered his brother's voice.

"You're supposed to drink this," Ron held the goblet out to Harry. "Madam Pomphrey said it would help with the head ache." Harry gratefully took it and drank it in one sip. He waited a few seconds and the head ache began to fade.

"So I hit my head?"

"Yes, do you remember who stunned you?" asked Hermione.

"No."

"Do you remember anything?" Ryou was now urging him on.

"Just getting hit with a spell."

Ryou and Hermione shared a look. "Whoa, is it that time already?" Hermione jumped. "We have to get to class soon!"

"What," Ryou shouted. "What day _is _it?"

"Oh yeah, you've been out, too," she said sheepishly. "It's Tuesday."

"Oh no, I didn't finish my transfiguration essay," he slumped for a second before jumping to his feet. "I have to talk to Professor McGonagall!" Ryou practically ran out of the room.

**LALALA**

Ryou sighed as he walked to the library after his classes were done. He found an empty table and pulled out his essay. 'At least she gave me an extension,' he thought.

After finishing the essay as quickly as he could, Ryou looked over at the shelf full of books next to him and scanned the titles. 'I haven't read that many books lately, maybe I should,' his eyes widened as he remembered the book on exorcisms he had bought over the summer. Once again he bolted out of a room, but this time went straight to his dormitory. 'I'll grab the book and go to dinner and read at dinner.'

Ryou took the stairs to his dormitory two at a time and threw his trunk open. He began moving things over and his hand closed around a small ball. 'The millennium eye,' he stared at it, lost in thought for a moment before he shook himself free of its gaze and found the book. Shoving the eye in his pocket, Ryou walked briskly to the great hall for dinner.

"Don't tell me you're going to read at the table, too," Ron sighed as Ryou plopped down opposite him.

"I see no problem with it," he replied, noting that Hermione had also brought a book.

Ryou opened the book to the index page after spooning some food onto his plate.

'People or objects, which one would I look at?' Ryou turned to the page indicated for a spirit possessing a person and began to read. 'How to tell a person is possessed, by actions, by words, oh, how to exorcise the spirit!' Ryou read on and sighed. 'That can't be it; the cloaked man didn't shoot me with holy water from a squirt gun or wand or anything.'

Ryou turned to the section on objects and sighed. 'Last I checked the millennium ring wasn't a coffee cup or clock. This is getting no where.' He looked over at Hermione's book and his eyes widened. "Hey, Hermione, can I borrow your book?"

"No need, I think I found what you're looking for," Hermione showed him a page containing a complex ritual. "Let's go to the library and look this over." Ryou nodded and followed her out of the great hall leaving their confused friend's behind.

"It's almost like they can read each other's minds," Ron commented.

"I follow them," Joey said as he stood and ran to catch up.

"I think they all know something we don't," Harry said and Ron nodded in understanding before continuing his dinner.

**LALALA**

"Hey, guys, wait up? What is happening?" Joey shouted and Ryou and Hermione slowed to let him catch up.

Ryou looked at him questioningly, "Did I not…no I didn't tell you," he groaned. "Bakura well…Bakura has been exorcized by the cloaked guy."

"What!?"

"And we've been trying to find out how," Hermione said indicating the book. "I think I've found what he did."

They sat down at a table and looked at the page the book was open to. "It says here that the possessed person or item must be present to do this ritual. It involves the caster to take a potion that must be prepared prior to the actual exorcism or else it won't work."

"Hey, it says the potion preparation might cause some sort of explosion," Ryou looked more closely at the book. "That must be why the forest was on fire."

Hermione nodded. "The caster has to take the potion right before the incantation and wand movement is said," she turned the page. "Is that how his wand movements looked?"

"Yes," said Ryou. "And those look like they might have been the wording."

"A light will shoot into the person or object possessed. The color varies according to the possessing spirit. Red means they are evil. Yellow or Gold means they are a passed away loved one of the one they possessed. Blue means they are good…"

"Blue means good," Ryou asked in shock. "So he did actually change for the better. I told him he wasn't evil."

"Can I ask a question?" Joey cut in.

"Yeah, what is it?"

"Am I going to understand what you are saying any time soon?"

"Oh, sorry," Ryou grinned sheepishly. "I'll explain later."

_I can't believe he would do that._

Ryou turned around quickly as he heard a voice in his head, "Ryou?"

"I thought I heard someone," he said confused.

"Weird," Hermione began, "Anyway, we should probably head back to the common room it's getting late."

Ryou nodded as they collected their things. 'Maybe I just want to hear a voice in my head,' he thought. 'But I could have sworn that it was a female.'

_I hope he's okay; he really should get some rest._

Blinking Ryou looked over at Hermione who finished packing up. 'Okay, that was not a coincidence.'

* * *

Well, that's the update. I hope you liked it. Please review and tell me what you think? See you next update!

-Maki-sama-


	11. A Simple Request

Sorry it's taken me so long everyone! I'm still here. At the end of the chapter I'll include a list of what I have been doing for the past half a year if you're at all annoyed at me.

Reminders:

'Thoughts or emphases'

_Voices_

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh or Harry Potter.

* * *

Ryou sat down and put his head in his hands. 'I've been hearing these voices all week,' he thought with a deep sigh. As far as he could tell at that moment, there was no reason for him to be hearing these voices all the time. "I'm getting such a head ache!"

"Its not like hearing Bakura, I was used to his annoying problems like insulting everyone, but…am I making these voices up to make up for Bakura being gone?"

Ryou sat up fast and hit his head on the top of his bed, "Ow! Well, guess I'd better try." He rubbed his head and picked up the book where Hermione had found the ritual and started to read. "So if I just," Ryou carefully took off his millennium ring and placed it in front of him. He picked up his wand and looked at the text. "If I just reverse the order each word is said in the incantation…I'll be able to bring him back!"

Ryou could barely contain his excitement as he recited the words and watched as a flow of light hit the ring in front of him. "This is it!" he exclaimed after the light faded. "Bakura, Bakura! Are you there?" He waited a moment and after five minutes wondered why there was no response. "Bakura?" Ryou quickly grabbed the book and continued to read what the small paragraph about the reverse ritual.

"The Spirit taken from the object or person should return unless it has found peace in the afterlife or is too evil to be contained completely by the object or person. Carefully recite the incantation in reverse with your wand pointed at the object or person. The Spirit should reappear in the instant the light disappears."

Ryou closed his eyes and concentrated. When he opened them he was in his soul room complete with action figures, spell books, and a few pieces of furniture. He walked towards the door that would lead him to a hall separating his and Bakura's soul room. Opening the door he smiled as he saw the door to the room across from him. Ryou slowly walked forward and put his hand on the handle. He turned it and let the door slowly open.  
The room was dark and Ryou blinked a few times trying to adjust to the sudden lack of light. He started to walk into the room when he noticed that it looked exactly like his. "Did I imagine a door?" he asked no one and left the room to find another door opposite him that was wide open, "but that's mine." Ryou looked back and forth between the two doors and screamed in frustration. "He's not here!"

**LALALA**

Ryou walked sullenly down the halls towards Remus' office cringing every now and then after hearing a few particularly nasty voices in his head.

_Whoa! Look at her!  
__  
Let me think. If I do my transfiguration essay tomorrow and then finish potions during lunch…_

_I wonder if I could transfigure my hand into a hook and pretend to be a ghost pirate._

Ryou knocked on the door and heard a muffled 'come in.' Entering the room, Ryou looked around for his Defense against the Dark Arts professor. "Remus," Ryou continued to take in his surroundings, "Where are you?"

Remus Lupin walked down the stairwell leading to his office while bandaging his thumb and smiled at seeing his visitor. "Sorry, I had a nasty meeting with a pixie today. What brings you to my room today, Ryou?" Remus leaned against his desk and motioned for the white-haired teen to take a seat.

Ryou sat in one of the desks and looked up at his friend. Should he tell him the truth? "Well," he began, "Seeing as you're the Defense teacher and a good wizard, I was wondering if you would help me master a few spells. I have to take NEWTs this year and want to make sure I do well." Not the actual truth, but he did need to study for the tests so it was just bent a little. Ryou was actually thinking of learning better spells to use for when he met the man who separated him from his Yami.

"Well, what kinds of spells did you want to work on?"

"Hermione helped me with the basic spells from the first few years last year, but I still feel behind compared to the rest of the student body. I figured it would be more helpful if I learned what I could in school and not have to experiment too much after I graduated."

"Of course," Remus smiled and walked towards a book shelf behind his desk. "So what sort of spells do you want to look over? What years have you gone through?"

"Hermione helped me with the first through third year spell books she had. Could we go over fourth and fifth then? Maybe we could work on other advanced spells, too?"

"That's fine by me. When would you like to meet, during my free periods?"

Ryou nodded, said he would see Remus the next day, and left when he was dismissed. Walking down the halls again, Ryou felt a bit better. 'Next time for sure I'll be able to beat that guy,' he thought with a small grin forming on his face. 'He'll be begging me to stop.'

* * *

Yes, I know it is insanely short! This story is nearing its end, though. Has anyone guessed the cloaked villain yet?

Reasons for no update:

-AP English book reports and exam.  
-Other school exams  
-"Hello, Dolly"  
-College auditions  
-Marching Band (we did field shows this year!)  
-Graduation

Hope you enjoyed the update! Review if you want.

-Maki-sama-


	12. In which we make a discovery

Hey, everyone. I know, it's been a long time since I've update, but I really have lost a lot of inspiration for anything lately whether is this or drawing. I'll try to update a lot faster next time and I'm really sorry about the length. Hopefully I can make the next chapter longer.  
The end is near.

Reminders:

_Voices  
_'Thoughts'

Disclaimer: I do not own YuGiOh or Harry Potter.

* * *

Ryou began the slow and painful walk towards the north tower. After lunch was not a good time for him to be having any sort of class, especially since he kept hearing voices at every turn and he was just looking forward to the end of the day. Ryou turned into the last hallway leading to the ladder when someone shouted behind him.

"Hey," said a panting third year Hufflepuff, "You dropped something," he said and handed Ryou a small round object. "You know you walk real fast." The Hufflepuff smiled. "Yes, thank you," Ryou said as his fingers closed around the object.  
"So, are you going to divination?" at Ryou's nod the boy continued, "I'm taking that class, too! It's really interesting, you know? Well, got to go or I'll be late to transfiguration! Bye!"  
Ryou watched the energetic third year run back down the hallway and disappear around the corner. He slowly uncurled his fingers and dropped what he was holding. An eye stared back up at him from the floor, glinting in the lights from the window.  
Ryou edged against the wall and watched it in shock."I don't remember bringing you with me," he said and bit his lip. If he left it, it would probably follow him since it seemed content doing that today, wait. If the eye had followed him today, then it probably had previous days as well. Since it most likely had...Ryou sighed with relief, 'I haven't been hearing voices,' he thought, 'I've been unintentionally reading people's thoughts!'  
He swept up the eye and put it in his bag continuing his trek towards the now visible ladder, he'd put the eye back after divination.

LALALA

"Good afternoon, Ryou," smiled Professor Trelawney when he climbed into the classroom.  
"Good afternoon, Professor," he said and sat at their usual table.  
"It is your last year here, right?" she asked as she sat across from him after retrieving a tray with tea.  
Ryou nodded and took a cup of tea after it was offered. He stirred in a small amount of sugar and blew on it before taking a small sip.  
"What are your plans for post graduation?"  
Ryou shrugged. "I haven't thought much," he set his cup down. "I thought maybe I might like to write some books, but other than that I've no idea." He stared thoughtfully out the window for a second and sipped at his tea.  
His professor smiled knowingly and told him today they would just meditate and began a small lecture on its art.

LALALA

Ryou left divination feeling much better than he had in a long time. On the path to Gryffindor tower he heard a number of thoughts, normally catching slight strings of words as he passed people in the hall. He stopped and waited for a staircase to move in place.  
_And there he is, the broken boy, lost and alone forever.  
_Ryou's brow crease in confusion and he looked to his right. Through the corner of his eye he caught site of a white blonde head.  
_Not too long and he and that miserable brother of his will be dead and gone. My revenge will be complete. It's much easier without that spirit around.  
_Ryou turned and looked at the person and stopped a gasp. A boy his age looked at him with a cold glare.  
"What are you looking at, Potter?" spat Draco Malfoy.  
The stairs clicked in place and Ryou ran as fast as he could to Gryffindor tower. 'He's going to kill me! He killed Bakura,' his thoughts would not stop. 'He's going to kill Harry and who knows who else!' Ryou gasped the password and ran to his room. He threw himself on his bed and closed the curtains pulling the millennium eye from his pocket thinking back to when it was discovered there.  
"Everything happens for a reason," he said to himself.

* * *

So there is the end to this chapter. Review if you'd like, I love hearing feedback.  
Thanks for reading and once again I apologize for the lateness and the length.  
-Maki-sama- 


	13. Soulless wanderings

Hey, everyone, I'm here and this is the last chapter BEFORE the epilogue (yes, there will be one). I'm sorry it has taken so long to finish this story, but I just finished up my first semester at my music college .. I really lost interest for awhile and was really pushing it so if this does not meet your expectations, I'm sorry. Although at some parts it was difficult, this was a fun story to write and I thoroughly enjoyed all your reviews! Thank you so much for your support through the writing of this fanfic!

Reminders:  
'Thoughts.'  
_voices_

Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh or Harry Potter.

* * *

Ryou sat at dinner stirring his food around his plate. He had been trying to keep an eye on Malfoy for the last few days, but the blonde always seemed to disappear. Due to this fact, Ryou knew something was up, he didn't even need to consult the inner eye to suspect.

"And then the whole cauldron blew up!" Ron exclaimed throwing his arms up and spilling his pumpkin juice. "It was great!""Wonderful, Ron," said Hermione with a quickly mumbled cleaning spell.

"Next time, don't pretend that your pumpkin juice is a potion."Ron grinned and took a bit out of his chicken. Joey and Harry laughed as Hermione made a face.  
"Boys," she muttered.

Ryou sighed. No matter how much he used to enjoy time with his friends, he just could not bring himself to these days. If only Bakura hadn't…_Its time, the last step will begin tonight._

Ryou tensed as the voice entered his mind and looked around the Great Hall, his hair whipping Hermione in the face.  
"Ryou, what are you?" Spotted!

"Sorry, guys, I've got to go," Ryou left as fast as he could without appearing suspicious having just seen Malfoy leave.

"Ryou?" Harry called and ran after him. He stopped his brother in right before he left with Ron, Joey, and Hermione not far behind."What? I have to go, now!" Ryou shouted as Harry spun him around.

"Why," Harry asked. "Why are you leaving so fast?"

"Look, I found out that the one who is after us is Malfoy and he just left! I need to stop him before he does anything else."  
"How do you even know its Malfoy, Ryou?" asked Ron.

"The millennium eye," Ryou pulled the ancient object from his pocket earning a gasp from Joey.

"How did you even get that, I thought Pegasus was killed and…"

"Apparently my Yami stole at least one of the seven items," Ryou's quiet voice caused shivers down all their backs. His eyes became distant and cold, all light leaving them. "I won't let him hurt anyone else, so don't try to stop me." With that said he swiftly turned around and with his robe swishing behind him stalked out of the castle.  
Harry looked at his other friends and they all nodded in agreement before running to catch up with Ryou who was almost halfway to the Forbidden Forest.

* * *

Truthfully, Ryou had no idea where he was going, only a feeling that Malfoy would be at the site where he had exorcised Bakura. He was moving quickly across the grounds knowing he had lost a lot of time talking to his half brother and friends.

"I knew you'd be here at some point," drawled a voice Ryou had been listening for. "You have been watching me like a mother hen."

"It was you the whole time," Ryou stated as Malfoy smirked.

"Of course it was, Potter," he laughed. "You and your idiot brother destroyed my father and family name."

Ryou's eyes narrowed. He knew Lucius Malfoy had been found as a death eater, but didn't realize the man's son felt so strongly about it.  
"What are you doing, Malfoy?"Malfoy raised his eyebrow.

"You don't know, seer?" he sneered. "I'm going to kill you and your meddlesome brother." Harry and crew stopped behind Ryou. "Oh, look who just showed up."  
"Harry, Hermione, Ron, Joey, you guys shouldn't be here," Ryou said without turning around.

"Hey, we're in this together, Ryou" Joey said. "I won't leave you alone."  
"Me neither," Hermione piped up.  
"Right."  
"Yeah!"

A warm feeling entered Ryou's heart that had not been felt throughout most of the year thus far and he couldn't help but let a small smile grace his lips.  
"How touching," Malfoy drawled and pulled out his wand. "Unfortunately, you will all die tonight. _Expelliarmus_!" He must have been practicing because all five of their wands flew to his outstretched hand.Harry almost lunged forward, but with a quick threat from Malfoy's wand and Joey and Ron holding him back, he didn't get very far.

Ryou glared at Malfoy as the blonde turned to look at him, his closest victim. Hermione tried to hold her hair down as a supernatural wind picked up that neither Malfoy nor Ryou noticed.

"You destroyed my happiness and the best friendship I ever had came to a sudden stop because of you," Ryou's voice grew deep and sinister and his hair unnaturally spiked up in the wind. His glare intensified and in a sudden motion he had thrown a knife at Malfoy's arm forcing the blonde to drop his wand and grasp it in pain. Another well placed throw had him pinned to the tree trunk behind him. Malfoy was paralyzed in fear as Ryou continued to slowly walk towards him. "I can never forgive you."  
Hermione gasped as the shadows grew darker and swirled around Ryou who had stopped a few feet from the pinned boy. Ron and Joey's hold on Harry fell and Harry stared at his brother in shock and awe. 'What is going on?'

"I call upon the darkness of the shadow realm," a gruff voice escaped Ryou's lips as he stared emotionless and indifferently at Malfoy. "Since you have ripped my soul into pieces, I will steal yours."

A light surrounded Ryou's body and his hair stuck up even more as the millennium ring glowed with raw power. All dark creatures of the forest scurried away from the light and Unicorns whinnied as the ground shook. Hermione fell to the ground as the boys tried to stabilize themselves on each other and surrounding foliage. Ryou's blood curdling scream broke through the chaos as a light flew from his pocket where the millennium eye rested and surrounded the pinned blonde.

As quickly as it had begun the world became calm and Malfoy slumped in his bindings, soulless. Ryou's breathing was labored and he held a hand to the millennium ring as he stared at the boy in front of him. Tears fell unchecked down his cheeks as a sense of calm overcame him.

Professors came running to the clearing having seen the light and felt the earth shake. Madam Pomphrey rushed to Malfoy's side, checking for damage. Ryou sunk to the earth and clutched the grass between his fingers trying to catch his breath. The millennium ring fell into his line of vision and glinted in the light from the Professors' wands. The light winked at him and he stared at the ring as he caught his breath. Words he had forgotten came back to him.

_…I'll always be there with you…I'm a part of you now, Ryou…Thank you._

Sobs racked his body and he smiled and laughed for the first time in a while. 'Yes, Bakura, you are a part of me. I never saw it before. I am you, your reincarnation, and you've been here all along.'"May you rest in peace, spirit of the millennium ring," Ryou whispered. "May you rest in peace."

* * *

The rest of the school year flew by and Ryou was finally able to smile again. He realized that Bakura would always be with him, in himself and his memories and nothing would ever change that.

* * *

There is the last chapter. I'll try to get the epilogue up soon, possibly around Christmas since I have a weeklong clinic this coming week.Send me some comments on the chapter, hope you enjoyed and see you in the epilogue and end of _Falling Leaves.  
_-Maki-sama-


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